


Love on Aisle Four

by sushihara_shuichi



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Bank Heist Cases, Colorful Language, Fluff, Grocery Store AU, High School AU, Kaimaki - Established, Kiiruma - Established, Kokich's got some hella gay disaster fantasies, Kokichi breaks his leg cuz he's clumsy, M/M, Rivalry, School Festivals, Semi-Slow Burn, Shuichi and Kokichi are personal shoppers, based off of my part-time job, but shuichi still has an interest in detective work, kokichi is already in love with shuichi, rantaro is a cashier, shuichi takes a while to fall in love, some oumami shenanigans, they don't have their talents and are just normal high school students
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-01-30 22:56:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21436078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sushihara_shuichi/pseuds/sushihara_shuichi
Summary: Kokichi and Shuichi both have a heated rivalry going on at their part-time job at Kuma Mart, where they compete to see who can finish their online orders the fastest. Many shenanigans occur and eventually, love begins to develop.
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 58
Kudos: 237





	1. Aisle 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, you guys! It's sushihara_shuichi with another Saiouma work that I'm doing for NaNoWriMo called Love on Aisle Four! It's completely different from Game of Cat and Mouse in the sense that it's all a bunch of fluff and no smut at all. The idea came to me while I was on work one day and I thought to myself, "I wonder what it would be like if Shuichi and Kokichi had a job like mine and the others worked in different departments?" And then this story was born. My job is as a personal shopper for online orders. I will explain all the word jargon down below at the end of this chapter, so keep an eye out for that. I can tell you right now that their experience in the workplace has ten times more drama than mine ever will XD
> 
> I hope you guys like it and read on! Let me know what you think down in the comments section below~

Kirumi stood in front of the computer, processing order after order. She occasionally glanced at the clock overhead before looking back at the computer screen. She printed off a relatively long receipt as a voice reached her ears.

“Hey, Toujou-san? Quick question.”

“Yes?” Kirumi turned to look at Kaede, who had on a pink sweater, black jeans, and pink Converse, her hair pulled back into a ponytail by a pink velvet scrunchie and some strands pinned back by musical note clips.

“I notice you keep looking at the clock. Why is that?” she asked.

“It’s almost time for them to return,” Kirumi replied.

“Them?” Kaede tilted her head to the side in confusion.

“You’ll see,” Kirumi said.

Just then, the door flew open and loud shouting filled the room.

“I made it!”

“No, _ I _ made it! You lagged a bit, Saihara-chan!”

Kaede’s eyes sparkled upon seeing who entered the room.

“Saihara-kun! And Ouma-kun, too!” she exclaimed.

“Oh, it’s Miss Newbie Kayayday,” Kokichi drawled as he pushed a red cart that had six totes filled with groceries into the room.

“It’s Kaede, Ouma-kun!” she said with a huff.

“So, Toujou-san? Who won?” Shuichi asked, looking over at Kirumi expectantly.

“Well, since you came in first, you won. But, if we look at your picking time…” Kirumi moved to the bigger computer monitor in the middle and began clicking through various tabs, stopping at a page with columns and rows, “Ouma-kun wins with his average picking time being forty-one seconds per item,” she said.

“Hah! I knew I won!” Kokichi shot Shuichi a smug smirk. “It must suck to suck, Saihara-chan,” he jeered.

“Oh shut up, Ouma-kun,” Shuichi shot back as Kirumi cleared her throat.

“Okay, enough bickering. You two need to stage those. And Kaede, I need you to gather order 1051 and take it out to spot four,” she ordered, handing Kaede a sheet of paper.

“Alright!” Kaede chirped.

As Kaede took her Baymax and scanned the large barcode at the top, Shuichi and Kokichi got to work staging the totes on their carts. Shuichi took out his staging sheet and scanned each tote’s barcode with his Baymax, matching it with the letter section that was on the Baymax screen.

“There! I’m done staging!” Kokichi chirped.

“Good for you,” Shuichi replied sarcastically.

“I’m loving your sarcasm, Saihara-chan. It works well with your “I’m so done with your bullshit” look.”

“Whatever.”

Shuichi finished staging his totes soon after and he pushed the cart over to the refrigerator. Pulling the door open, he pushed the cart in and let the coldness envelop him.

_ Gosh, inside this fridge is always cold. Maybe I should stop wearing thin clothes, especially if they’re going to keep assigning me to refridge carts _ , he thought to himself.

He pushed the cart further inside so that he had enough space to move around and then proceeded to put each tote in the “D” section. Once he was done with that, he pulled the cart back out.

“Heeeeeeeey, Saihara-chan!”

Shuichi blinked as he came face to face with Kokichi.

“What is it, Ouma-kun?” he asked.

“Here!” Kokichi handed Shuichi a strip of six labels. “That’s for you,” he said.

“Oh...thanks.,” Shuichi said as he took the strip from him.

He walked over to a cart with six empty totes while eyeing the strip of labels.

_ So, a ninety-three row ambient, huh, _ he thought to himself.

He began to stick the labels onto each tote as he eyed Kokichi.

“How many rows is yours?” he asked.

“Mine? It’s sixty-two.” Kokichi replied.

“Sixty-two?”

“Yeah. You know, I was going to be nice and let you have my sixty-two row ambient, but I figured I’d let you suffer a little and do the ninety-three row one instead.”

Shuichi glowered at the grinning Kokichi.

“You…” he trailed off.

“Nishishi~! Well, have fun with that, Saihara-chan~” Kokichi singsonged before starting his order run and dashing off with his cart.

“Oh, now you’re asking for it, Ouma-kun!”

* * *

Shuichi finished delivering an order to an elderly couple in spot six and came back inside as Kirumi spoke.

“Saihara-kun, you can go home now. I just sent Ouma-kun on his way, as well,” she said.

“Are you sure? It’s still pretty busy,” he asked.

“It’s fine. Shinomoto-san and I will take care of things here,” Kirumi reassured him.

“If you say so...well, I’ll be going now. I’ll see you at school tomorrow, Toujou-san!” Shuichi called out as he went to grab his bag in one of the lockers up against the wall.

“Yes, I shall see you then, Saihara-kun,” Kirumi replied with a smile.

Shuichi waved before exiting the room. He weaved through the aisles, occasionally answering a customer’s question as he headed to the cash registers, where the time clock was. After clocking out, he took his phone out from his back pants pocket and turned it on. The time stared back at him as he saw a text his uncle sent him two hours ago.

**Uncle: Hey, could you pick up some orange juice, Shuichi? I forgot to get some when we went shopping the other day.**

_ Oh yeah, I did notice that,  _ Shuichi thought to himself.

**Shuichi: Alright, Uncle.**

He headed to the back of the store, where the dairy section was. As he headed down the bread aisle, he felt someone nudge his hip.

“Ah!” he looked to his left. “Ouma-kun?!” he exclaimed in surprise.

Kokichi giggled.

“Surprise!” he chirped.

Shuichi narrowed his eyes at him.

“I thought you would’ve gone home by now, seeing as you got off before I did,” he commented.

“Weeeeeeell, I just remembered that I needed to pick up some other things, so I’m going to get them,” Kokichi explained.

“I see...what section are you going to?” Shuichi asked.

“Dairy. I need milk and eggs, since Amami-chan, the annoying piglet, and Keeboy are all coming over tomorrow to bake cookies.”

“I’m going to the dairy section, too! I have to pick up some orange juice.”

“My, what a coincidence! Or perhaps it could be fate?”

“I highly doubt it’s fate, Ouma-kun.”

“Nishishi~You know you could at least amuse me, my beloved Saihara-chan.”

Shuichi sighed, shaking his head as they arrived at the dairy section. He went down to get the orange juice while Kokichi went to get his milk and eggs. As he scanned the shelves for the brand they usually got, Kokichi called out to him.

“Hey, you want a drink?” a grape ramune bottle was shoved in his face.

Shuichi blinked in surprise.

“Uh...no thanks,” he said, nudging the bottle back in Kokichi’s direction.

“You sure?” Kokichi asked.

“Yeah. I have water in my bag.” Shuichi replied.

“Alright then,” Kokichi said.

Shuichi finally found what he was looking for and opened the door, taking it off the shelf. He turned to see Kokichi with his milk and eggs in a shopping basket, ramune bottle in hand as he leaned against a bunker that had promotional items in it.

“I thought you left already,” he commented.

“Well, we live next to each other, don’t we? So, I figured it would be more convenient if we went together,” Kokichi explained.

Shuichi was tempted to ask Kokichi what he meant by convenient, but decided not to. If he asked, he would be given a riddle for an answer.

“Alright, then. Let’s go pay for our stuff and head home,” he said.

“Okay!” Kokichi chirped, falling into step beside Shuichi as they headed to the registers.

After paying for their groceries (and also pulling Kokichi away from Rantaro, who was cashiering at the register they went to), they began to walk home.

“Ooh, it’s really starting to get cold,” Kokichi commented.

“Yeah, it sure is,” Shuichi said.

Kokichi buried his hands into his checkered hoodie, shuddering.

“Geez, isn’t it only October? It shouldn’t be getting this cold until next month,” he stated.

“Eh, it’s bearable,” Shuichi noted.

Kokich furrowed his brows.

“That’s just because you like the cold. What a masochist,” he remarked, sticking his tongue out and blowing a raspberry at him. 

“I never said I like the cold. I only said that it’s bearable,” Shuichi said.

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Saihara-chan,” Kokichi said with a huff.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Kokichi’s house.

“Welp, here we are!” Kokichi grinned. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow, Saihara-chan,” he said.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow, Ouma-kun,” Shuichi replied.

Kokichi closed the gate behind him and waved at Shuichi before turning and heading inside. Shuichi waved back as Kokichi disappeared inside, the door closing behind him. Then, he went over to his house, opened the gate, and headed inside, closing the door behind him.

* * *

As soon as Kokichi stepped inside and closed the door behind him, he dropped to his knees and brought his hands to his flushed cheeks.

“We walked home together...gosh, my heart is fluttering just thinking about it!” he gushed excitedly.

_I mean, we always walk home together, but that doesn’t change how happy I get whenever we do,_ he thought to himself.

He sat down on the ground as a squeal escaped his lips, kicking his legs about.

He didn’t care if his usual jokester persona fell apart to reveal the giddy schoolgirl within him.

Not when he was in love with one very oblivious Shuichi Saihara.


	2. Aisle 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's baking time at the Ouma household!  
Keebo and Miu's secret is brought to light.  
Love lives are discussed between Kokichi and Rantaro.  
A detective case is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, you guys! I'm back with chapter two of Love on Aisle Four! So, this is a pretty normal chapter with the only big thing happening is Kokichi, Miu, Keebo, and Rantaro making cookies and a couple of secrets being revealed. But, on the plus side, this chapter is long!
> 
> I hope you guys like it and let me know what you think down in the comments section below!
> 
> With that, here's chapter two! :D

Humming filled the kitchen as Kokichi bustled about, gathering the ingredients needed to make the cookies.

As he pulled a sack of flour out of the pantry, the doorbell rang.

“Coming!” Kokichi called out.

He dashed over to the door and opened it to reveal Rantaro, Miu, and Keebo.

“Geez, I was wondering what was taking you three so long!” Kokichi exclaimed.

Rantaro chuckled.

“I almost left the house without the sheet tray for the cookies, so I had to go and look for it,” he explained.

“And we were occupied with...other things,” Keebo admitted, a light blush on his cheeks.

Kokichi eyed Keebo curiously before speaking. 

“Well, come in,” he said, stepping aside so they could come inside.

“Thank you, Ouma-kun,” Rantaro said as he stepped inside, toed off his checkered Vans, and put on a pair of slippers.

As Miu and Keebo stepped inside, Kokichi took note of their clasped hands. His jaw nearly dropped in shock.

_ What the— _

“Wait, hold up just a minute! Why are you two holding hands?!” he exclaimed.

“Uh, because we’re dating, you dipshit?” Miu responded as she flipped him the middle finger.

“Since when?!” Kokichi screeched.

“Since yesterday...I finally gathered up the courage to confess to her and she accepted. So, now we’re dating,” Keebo explained.

“Oh wow...well, it’s about damn time!” Kokichi threw his hands onto his hips. “I was wondering when you’d stop being such a chicken, Keebaby,” he teased.

“I’m not a chicken!” Keebo complained.

“You could’ve fooled me.” Kokichi moved past a pouting Keebo and closed the door behind them. “Now, hurry up and put on a pair of slippers. You can meet up with Amami-chan and me in the kitchen,” he said before turning and skipping over to where Rantaro stood.

As they headed down the narrow hall to the kitchen, Kokichi eyed Rantaro suspiciously.

“So? Did you know that those two were a thing already?” he asked.

“I found out when we met up earlier. Trust me, I was quite surprised,” Rantaro stated.

“No kidding. I thought Keebaby would keep it a secret forever.”

“Same here. But, I’m glad that he finally found the courage to confess to her. They suit each other.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

They entered the kitchen.

“So, I managed to get all of the ingredients out! All that’s left are the appliances and a couple more sheet trays,” Kokichi explained.

“Nice. What kind of cookies do you want to make first, Ouma-kun?” Rantaro asked.

“Sugar cookies!”

Rantaro laughed.

“I knew you’d say that…” he looked over at the kitchen door. “I wonder what’s taking Keebo-kun and Iruma-san so long…” he trailed off.

Kokichi groaned.

“I have a bad feeling about this...I’ll be back, Amami-chan. You can start on the dough in the meantime,” he said.

“Alright,” Rantaro replied as Kokichi left the kitchen.

He headed down the hall and saw that Miu had trapped Keebo against the door, their lips engaged in a heated lip lock.

Kokichi scrunched his face up in disgust.

“Are you two kidding me right now?! Don’t make out at my front door! You’re making me want to gag!” he shouted. 

Miu pulled away from Keebo and shot Kokichi a nasty sneer.

“You’re just jealous because you can’t do those kinds of things with Twinkhara!” she jeered.

“Oh, screw off, you ugly bitch!” Kokichi snapped as he gave her two middle fingers.

“Well, fuck you too!” Miu shot back as she also gave him two middle fingers.

Kokichi turned around with a huff.

“Now hurry up and get your asses in the kitchen!” he barked out before stomping off.

He began to fume as he stormed down the hall.

_ The nerve of those two! They should keep their hands to themselves! I get that they started dating yesterday, but that doesn’t warrant them being mushy and gross in my house, _ he thought to himself.

He walked back into the kitchen to find Rantaro measuring out some flour. He rose his head upon Kokichi’s arrival.

“So?” he asked.

“Those two were making out at the front door! The front door! Can you believe that?!” Kokichi screeched.

“Unfortunately, I think I can,” Rantaro said with a chuckle.

Kokichi groaned loudly.

“This is so not good for my poor, forever alone gay self…” he mumbled.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, Ouma-kun,” Rantaro reassured him as Miu and Keebo entered the kitchen.

“Nah, it won’t be fine! The little abortion’s practically destined to be forever alone!” Miu cackled.

“Shut up, you annoying cum dumpster pig!” Kokichi shouted.

Miu squealed and began to squirm, which made Keebo let out a surprised shout.

“Miu, don’t squirm like that!” he then looked at Kokichi. “And don’t insult Miu, Ouma-kun!” he scolded.

“I do what I want, Keebaby!”

“Geh…!”

“Now, that’s enough bickering. We need to be making cookies, not fighting. And also, that wasn’t a nice thing to say to Ouma-kun, Iruma-san,” Rantaro chided.

“But it’s the truth!” Miu pointed out.

“That doesn’t mean anything. Be nice,” Rantaro said.

“Pfft, you sound like you have a thing for him.”

“For your information, I’m straight.”

“You look like you could swing both ways.”

“Again, I’m straight.”

Rantaro smiled.

“Now, Ouma-kun and I are going to work on the sugar cookies, so can you two start making the snickerdoodles?” he requested.

“Okay, okay! We’ll get to work,” Miu said.

They all got to work soon after, with Miu and Keebo measuring out ingredients and Kokichi and Rantaro mixing the dough for the sugar cookies. As Kokichi began scooping up the dough and placing them on the tray, Miu spoke.

“You know, I’m excited about the school festival. I wonder what we’re going to do this year.” she mused.

“Same here!” Keebo declared.

Then, Miu’s eyes lit up.

“Aha! Hey, Guac for Hair!” she looked at Rantaro. “You’re the class rep along with Toujou, aren’t ya? You could at least amuse us and tell us what we’re doing this year for the festival, right?” she asked.

Rantaro shook his head.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. It’s confidential,” he said.

“Tch. How stingy,” Miu commented.

“I’m not being stingy. I have to keep things under wraps,” he told her.

“Whatever,” she responded as she went to help Keebo mix some cinnamon and sugar in a bowl.

Kokichi put the tray in the oven, set a timer on his phone, and went to help Rantaro make a second batch of sugar cookie dough.

“Here, try some of this,” Rantaro said as he handed Kokichi a wooden spoon with some cookie dough on it.

“Ooooh, yum,” Kokichi said, smiling as he took the spoon from him and ate the dough on it. He hummed in delight.

“Yup, this is some good stuff,” he said.

“I’m glad you agree,” Rantaro smiled.

Kokichi handed the spoon back to Rantaro as he looked at Keebo and Miu, who were playfully flirting with one another. A twinge of jealousy tugged at his heart.

_ They’re acting all cute and mushy with each other...I wish I could be like that with Saihara-chan,  _ he thought to himself.

He found his thoughts wandering and he began to imagine what it would be like to bake cookies with Shuichi.

They’d joke, laugh together, and start little play fights. He’d flirt with Shuichi and make him blush. Shuichi would note that Kokichi had some flour on his cheek and he’d proceed to wipe it off. Sparks would begin to fly and their eyes would meet. Then, they would close the distance between them and their lips would meet in a sweet kiss—

“Hey, Ouma-kun?”

“Hm?” Kokichi hummed in response, a silly grin on his face.

“Hey, earth to Ouma-kun.” fingers were snapped in his face and Kokichi was pulled back into reality. He blinked, turning to look at a mildly concerned Rantaro. “Are you okay? You were staring off into space with a goofy look on your face,” Rantaro commented.

“Oh, I’m fine! No need to worry about me!” Kokichi chirped.

Then, a thought came to mind.

“Ah, as I’m thinking about it...have you thought of confessing your feelings to Kayayday yet?” he asked.

“What?” Rantaro blushed. “That’s very sudden, Ouma-kun,” he commented.

“It’s not  _ that _ sudden. So?” Kokichi watched him expectantly. “Do you have plans to do it?” he asked.

“Well...not at this very moment. But, I want to do it eventually. I don’t think I can keep it bottled up forever.” Rantaro explained.

“I see…” Kokichi trailed off.

“And you?”

“Me? What about me?”

“When do you plan on confessing to Saihara-kun?”

Kokichi nearly choked on his spit.

“Wh-What?!” Kokichi’s cheeks turned bright red. “Where did  _ that _ come from?!” he asked.

“Well, you did the same to me, so I thought it would be appropriate,” Rantaro stated.

Kokichi tsked.

“Damn you,” he said.

Rantaro chuckled.

“Well? Are you going to do it?” he asked.

Kokichi sighed.

“Honestly? I’m not sure,” he admitted.

“You’re not sure? How come?” Rantaro questioned.

“Well...I just feel that he doesn’t see me that way. There’s no point in confessing to someone who is clearly not interested.”

“Huh…”

“So, I’m going to keep it aaaaaaaaall bottled up and not say anything!”

Rantaro narrowed his eyes at him.

“That’s not healthy, you know,” he commented.

“So what if it isn’t?” Kokichi looked out the kitchen window, staring at Shuichi’s house. “I believe that things are fine the way they are and I am determined to keep it that way,” he said.

* * *

Shuichi finished washing the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher as he heard his uncle’s voice coming from the study.

“Hey, Shuichi?”

“Yes, uncle?” Shuichi answered.

“Could you make me some coffee, please? No sugar, no cream.,” his uncle requested.

“Of course,” Shuichi replied.

He closed the dishwasher and moved to turn the electric kettle on. As he went to get the instant coffee, he saw Rantaro, Keebo, and Miu walking down the sidewalk.

_ Oh yeah, Ouma-kun did say they were coming over to his house to make cookies, _ he thought to himself.

That was when he saw Keebo and Miu’s clasped hands. He had to do a double-take.

_ Whoa, whoa, whoa, what? They’re holding hands? Oh my god, _ he thought to himself.

He couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I guess he actually went through with it…” he trailed off, recalling when Keebo came up to him during lunch for some encouragement yesterday.

He looked away from the window as the kettle beeped, signaling that the water was done boiling. He quickly made the coffee for his uncle and headed into his study.

“I have your coffee, uncle,” he said.

“Oh, Shuichi.” his uncle turned in his swivel chair, a smile on his face. “You can just set it by the computer mouse,” he instructed.

“Alright,” Shuichi replied.

He set the mug down as a manila envelope with the words “Attn: Saihara Seiichirou” caught his eye. He watched it curiously.

“Hey, uncle?” he called out.

“Yes, Shuichi? What is it?” Seiichirou answered.

“Did you get another case?” Shuichi asked.

“I did. I’m sure you saw the news on the bank heist group, haven’t you?”

“I have. The other students talk about it in school sometimes.”

Shuichi ran his fingers along the envelope.

“So, you’re going to try and crack this case?” he asked.

“Yeah. Two other detectives tried to crack it and catch them, but they eventually gave up. So, they passed it onto me,” Seiichirou explained.

“I see...Well, I’ll leave you to it, uncle. I’m going to go work on my homework.” Shuichi moved to leave. “Good luck, uncle,” he said.

“Same to you, Shuichi,” Seiichirou replied.

Shuichi smiled before exiting the study, closing the door behind him. He turned to head upstairs, sighing.

“Time to get to work, I guess…” he mumbled as he headed into his room and closed the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on Tumblr @kawaiikichi!  
Link: http://kawaiikichi.tumblr.com/


	3. Aisle 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A raffle is introduced.  
Class 2-A figures out what they'll do for the school festival.  
It's another normal day at Kuma Mart.  
Shuichi and Kokichi have a talk that ends horribly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you guys! I have come back with the third chapter of Love on Aisle Four! This chapter is kinda eventful, with what happens at the beginning and the end. The end of this chapter kinda starts some drama. I promise, the next chapter will be a good one.
> 
> With that, here is chapter three! I hope you like it and let me know what you all think down in the comments below! :D

“A raffle?”

Everyone looked at Rantaro and Kirumi in surprise.

“Why can’t we just vote?” Tenko asked.

“We thought it would be more fun if we did a raffle rather than a vote,” Kirumi explained.

“I guess I can see where you’re coming from…” Korekiyo trailed off.

“I think it’s a good idea!” Kaede smiled. “Let’s do it!” she chirped.

“For once, Kayayday and I are on the same page,” Kokichi drawled.

“It’s Kaede, Ouma-kun! Kae-de!” she whined.

“Oh, chill out, Bakamatsu!” Miu shouted.

Kaede pouted as Rantaro spoke.

“So, what we want everyone to do is write down a suggestion for what our class should do for the festival on a piece of paper and drop it in this box here.” Rantaro patted the front of the box on the podium. “Then, we’ll shake it and pull a slip out to determine our course of action,” he explained.

“Does that sound good?” Kirumi asked.

“Yuuuuuup! Sounds good, Mommy Toujou-chan!” Kokichi chirped.

Kirumi sighed deeply.

“I’m not your mom, Ouma-kun…” she trailed off.

“Alright, you guys! Get to work! We’ll start the raffle in five minutes!” Rantaro shouted.

Shuichi opened his notebook and tore a sheet of paper out. He tapped his pen against it, pondering over what he should write down.

_ What should I write down, _ he wondered to himself.

“Hey, hey, Saihara-chan.” 

He heard the sound of something tapping against his desk. Raising his head, he locked eyes with Kokichi, who eyed him curiously as he leaned forward in his chair.

“What is it, Ouma-kun?” Shuichi asked.

“Have you written anything down yet?” Kokichi inquired.

“No. Have you?”

“Yup!”

Shuichi narrowed his eyes at him.

“Did you really, Ouma-kun? Or is this another one of your lies?” he asked.

“Nishishi! You got me. It was indeed a lie~” Kokichi singsonged.

Shuichi groaned.

“Really, Ouma-kun...will you ever stop lying?” he asked.

“Now, you know I can’t do that, my beloved Saihara-chan. Lies are a part of who I am. I can’t just give that up,” Kokichi explained.

“I get that, but—” Shuichi proceeded to argue his point, but stopped as he released a sigh.

_ I shouldn’t even bother. Ouma-kun won’t listen, anyway, _ he thought to himself.

“So? Did you write anything down, Ouma-kun?” he asked.

“Nope! But I’m about to. And that’s the truth!” Kokichi chirped.

“What will you put down?”

“A play!”

“I see…”

“Did you get any ideas, Saihara-chan?”

“I—”

“Okay, you guys! Thirty seconds left!” Rantaro called out.

The class was abuzz with loud chatter as they hurriedly wrote their suggestions down. Shuichi quickly wrote “Scavenger Hunt” down on his slip of paper as it was taken out of his hand.

“I’ll take this up for you, okay, Saihara-chan?” Kokichi said.

“Ah...okay…” Shuichi trailed off as Kokichi skipped over to the podium.

The slips of paper were collected soon after.

“Alright, the papers are in.” Rantaro looked over at Kirumi. “Will you do the honors, Toujou-san?” he asked.

“I will,” Kirumi replied.

She picked the box up and shook it, the slips of paper moving about inside. Then, she set it down, popped the top open, and reached inside. She pulled a slip out moments later.

“So, the class of 2-A will be doing…” she unfolded the slip and examined it. “...a play,” she said. 

“Oh my god, you actually chose mine!” Kokichi exclaimed as the class started chatting with one another.

“I see. Well, that is what we’ll be doing. Any suggestions as to what kind of play we should do?” Kirumi asked.

“I say Romeo and Juliet!” Tsumugi called out.

“No, let’s do Hamlet!” Kaito shouted.

“I wanna do Snow White!” Tenko said.

“Nyahaha! Let’s all write a play dedicated to Atua!” Angie declared.

“Eugh, no!” Tenko exclaimed in disgust.

“I say we do Sleeping Beauty!” Kaede said.

“Alright, everyone, settle down. So, I heard Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty, Hamlet, and Snow White.” Rantaro moved to the board and wrote down each option. “Let’s vote, then,” he said.

He pointed at Romeo and Juliet with the piece of chalk he used to write the options down.

“How many of you want Romeo and Juliet?” he asked.

Tsumugi, Ryoma, Korekiyo, and Maki all raised their hands.

“Okay, so that’s four…” Rantaro marked it down. “How about Hamlet?” he asked.

“Me!” Kaito declared, waving his hand around wildly.

“Okay...so Hamlet gets one vote…” Rantaro murmured as he jotted that down.

“Huh?! Just one?! How come I’m the only one that voted for Hamlet?!” Kaito exclaimed in shock.

“It’s because you’re an idiot,” Maki stated bluntly.

A dejected Kaito looked down at his desk as Rantaro spoke.

“Sleeping Beauty?” he asked.

Half of the class rose their hands.

“Oh wow. That’s a lot of votes for Sleeping Beauty.” Rantaro remarked as he marked the number down beside Sleeping Beauty. “And how about Snow White?”

Himiko rose her hand, a sleepy look in her eyes.

“And one vote for Snow White.” he jotted the number one down. “So, it looks like we’ll be doing Sleeping Beauty,” Rantaro said.

The class cheered and began chatting with each other excitedly as Kirumi spoke.

“We will pick roles along with passing out the script on Friday, so there’s that to look forward to,” she said.

“Oh, I’m so excited!” Kaede looked at Shuichi. “I wonder who’ll get to play Sleeping Beauty…” she trailed off.

“I’m not sure...but I hope it’s you, Akamatsu-san. I think you’d be an amazing Sleeping Beauty,” Shuichi told her.

“Thank you, Saihara-kun!” Kaede chirped as she beamed at him.

As they talked, Shuichi failed to notice the jealous look that crossed Kokichi’s face.

* * *

“Okay, so Saihara-kun will do the sixty-two row ambient,” Kirumi handed Shuichi a strip of labels, “and Ouma-kun will do the seventy-five row ambient,” she said, handing Kokichi his strip of labels.

“Seventy-five?! Why do I get the bigger one?!” Kokichi complained.

“You’re our fastest picker, which is why I gave that to you,” Kirumi stated.

“Fastest picker, huh...I like the sound of that,” Kokichi said.

“Well, Saihara-kun is catching up to you, so you better work hard,” she told him.

“Are you kidding me?!” Kokichi screeched, looking at a bewildered Shuichi.

“Huh?” he said.

“Okay, now get to work. Remember to pick fast and efficiently because we’re going to need those in two hours,” she explained.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Kokichi said as he made his way over to an empty cart and stuck each label on a tote.

After scanning the labels with his Baymax, he headed out of the room with Shuichi following from behind.

“Hope you have fun with that seventy-five row ambient you got there,” Shuichi said.

“Oh, I suuuuuuuure will!” Kokichi drawled out as Shuichi went on his way.

He released a sigh once Shuichi was out of earshot.

_ Like hell I’m gonna have fun with this, _ he thought to himself.

He pushed his cart into the aisle where the shampoo and other hair care products were and proceeded to make his way down the aisle in search of a coconut and shea butter scented shampoo.

After putting that in a bag and setting it in tote three, he scanned the label and began to breeze through the aisles that the Baymax directed him to. He eventually found himself down the spices and soup aisle, which was relatively busy.

As he picked up two glass bottles that had whole cinnamon sticks in them, he spotted a couple at the other end of the aisle. Two men picked up a few cans of soup and headed over to their cart, where a three-year-old girl sat in the child seat. The sight made Kokichi feel warm inside.

_I love seeing couples like them. It makes me feel happy,_ he thought to himself.

His mind wandered and he began to imagine him and Shuichi in that situation as a happily married couple. They would go grocery shopping together with kids of their own. They would go through the options and wonder whether to get the generic brand or something more expensive. They would smile and laugh and just be happy in their world of matrimonial bliss—

“...kun! Ouma-kun!”

Kokichi was jolted out of his fantasy at the sound of his name. He looked to see Shuichi.

“Saihara-chan?” he questioned.

“You shouldn’t be zoning out on the job. The orders will be late if you continue like that,” Shuichi warned.

Shuichi left soon after, pushing his cart along. Kokichi blinked, trying to process what just happened. Then, he let out a shout that startled some customers.

“Noooooooo! Saihara-chan, you get yourself back here right this instant!”

* * *

Shuichi sat at his desk later that evening, working away at his homework. He sighed, snapping his math textbook shut.

_ As good as I am at math, the subject still tires me out, _ he thought to himself.

He decided to take a break and scroll through his Twitter feed. That was when he stumbled upon some photos that Kaito posted of him and Maki at Disneyland from a couple of days ago, the tweet gushing over their first date and how cute Maki was.

_ They’re so cute, _ he thought to himself.

He tapped the heart button and commented on the photos as something hit his bedroom window. He jolted in surprise.

_ What the heck was that,  _ he asked himself.

Setting his phone down, he got on his bed and pulled the curtains apart. Something hit the window again and he realized that it was a small pebble.

_ Who the heck is tossing pebbles at my window, _ he asked himself.

That was when he saw Kokichi peeking out his bedroom window, wearing a black oversized shirt that said, “Thanks, I hate it” in neon pink block letters along with checkered pajama pants.

“Ouma-kun…?” he muttered out loud.

He opened the window and poked his head out.

“Hey, what are you—” a small pebble hit his forehead.

“Ooops. Sorry about that. I didn’t realize you opened the window,” Kokichi said.

“It’s fine.” Shuichi looked at Kokichi. “So? What’s up?” he asked.

“Mmm, just felt like wanting to talk for a bit,” Kokichi replied.

“Talk?” Shuichi blinked. “But we could just text…?” he questioned.

“Nah, I wanna talk like this. There’s something about talking to someone from each other’s bedroom windows that I like.” tears began to well up in his eyes. “What? You don’t want to see my cute face? My, I’m offended!” he exclaimed.

“Huh?! That’s not what I meant at all! Also, stop with the crocodile tears. You know those don’t work on me like they used to,” Shuichi chided.

The tears vanished instantly from Kokichi’s eyes.

“Aw, you got me.” he grinned deviously. “Also, I see you called me cute. I’m flattered,” he said.

Shuichi rolled his eyes.

“Whatever,” he said.

“Nishishi~Sooooo, anyway. Are you excited for the play?” Kokichi asked.

“Yeah, I guess I’m excited,” Shuichi replied.

“What role would you like to play?”

“I’d like to actually be the narrator or maybe part of the tech crew. I’d be fine with the role of the king, as well.”

“Heh...that’s kinda boring.”

“Boring can be good sometimes.”

“Man, you can be weird sometimes...but honestly, I think you’d make a good prince.”

“Prince? Oh, no way. I couldn’t possibly play such a big role.”

“And why not? I think the role suits you, Saihara-chan.”

Shuichi pouted.

“Well, what about you, Ouma-kun? What role would you want to play?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Hm...I’d like to play one of the fairies!” Kokichi chirped.

“Lies.” Shuichi deadpanned.

“Nishishi! Okay, okay, I’ll tell the truth.” Kokichi reached up to twirl some hair around his finger. “I actually want to play Sleeping Beauty herself,” he admitted.

“Sleeping Beauty?” Shuichi stared at Kokichi in surprise. “But isn’t that role meant for girls—”

“So what if it’s a girl’s role? If women can play men’s roles and pull it off, I’m pretty damn sure a man can do the same,” Kokichi said with a huff.

“I-I see…” Shuichi trailed off.

“Also, we need more LGBTQ+ representation.” Kokichi furrowed his brows. “What, you don’t think I’d make a good Sleeping Beauty?” he asked.

“That’s not what I—”

“Oh, wait. You were telling Akamatsu-chan in class that she’d made a perfect Sleeping Beauty, didn’t you?” Kokichi eyed Shuichi curiously. “Do you like her or something?” he asked.

“Huh?!” Shuichi’s cheeks turned red. “No! I don’t have a crush on Akamatsu-san!” he exclaimed.

“I’m preeeetty sure you do. I mean, you  _ did _ tell her she’d make a good Sleeping Beauty.”

“That’s…”

“So, I wouldn’t make a good Sleeping Beauty, then.”

Shuichi bit his lip. He had no idea what else he should say to convince Kokichi otherwise.

Kokichi chuckled.

“I knew it.” he let out a yawn that Shuichi knew was fake. “Maaaaan, now I’m sleepy! I think I’m gonna go to sleep now. Night, Saihara-chan!” he chirped.

“Ah! Wait, Ouma-kun—” Kokichi closed his window and closed the window and curtains before Shuichi could finish his sentence. The lights in his room went off soon after.

“Oh gosh…” Shuichi trailed off.

He was tempted to call out to him, but decided against it. Sighing, he closed his window and the curtains. He sat down on his bed, ruffling his hair in frustration.

“Shoot,” he said.

_ I messed up. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something to Know:  
-Picker: This is what we call the people who go and gather the groceries for the orders.  
\------------------------------------------------------  
You can find me on Tumblr @kawaiikichi!  
Link: http://kawaiikichi.tumblr.com/


	4. Aisle 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi and Kokichi are still distant.  
A collision occurs.  
A heart begins to beat quicker than normal...?  
They finally kiss and make up (they don't' literally kiss, sorry)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you guys! I'm back with chapter four of Love on Aisle Four! This chapter is pretty eventful, mainly because a certain someone finally starts to feel something towards Kokichi. So, that' something to look forward to as you read this chapter.
> 
> I hope you guys like it and let me know what you think down in the comments below! And with that, here is chapter four! :D

Kirumi was rarely ever puzzled. But this situation was enough to confuse her.

_ This is peculiar, _ she thought to herself.

She watched as Kokichi left with a twenty-five row ambient order and Shuichi leave with an eighty row refridge order, neither of them saying a word to each other.

_ They’ve been like this since their shifts started, even going so far as to pick different type orders...did something happen, _ she asked herself.

She looked over at Kaede, who just came back from delivering an order to spot eleven.

“Hey, Akamatsu-san?” she called out.

“Yes?” Kaede answered as she adjusted the orange reflective vest that she had on over her musical note patterned sweater.

“Did something happen between Saihara-kun and Ouma-kun? They’ve been awfully distant since their shifts started and they’re not bickering like they usually do. Actually, now that I think about it, they were acting weird at school, too.” Kirumi noted.

“Oh, that...apparently, they had an argument last night,” Kaede said with a nervous laugh.

“An argument?”

“Yeah...Saihara-kun kept saying it was his fault, saying that he hurt Ouma-kun’s feelings or something.”

“I see...has he tried to talk to him and make things right?”

“He has, but Ouma-kun keeps going out of his way to avoid him.”

Kirumi sighed.

“Geez...well, Ouma-kun has always been the stubborn type…” she trailed off.

“True.” Kaede looked over at the door that Shuichi and Kokichi left through. “I hope those two make up soon…” she murmured.

* * *

Shuichi pushed his cart down the bread aisle, sighing.

_ This day feels like it’s been going on forever _, he thought to himself.

“I haven’t even been able to apologize to Ouma-kun yet…” he trailed off.

He knew how important Kokichi’s identity was to him. And yet, Shuichi went and acted like a jerk about it.

He groaned.

“I’m such an idiot…” he grumbled as he pushed his cart into the cereal aisle.

He stilled, seeing that Kokichi was also down that aisle with his cart.

_ Shoot...I forgot that Ouma-kun also took an ambient strip, _ he thought to himself.

Kokichi picked up a box of space-themed cereal as they locked eyes. He forced a smile onto his face.

“Oh...hey, Saihara-chan,” he greeted.

“Hey, Ouma-kun…” Shuichi trailed off.

Kokichi looked away soon after and shuffled over to his cart, sticking the box in tote five. Shuichi sighed, looking down at his Baymax.

_ So, two bags of corn flakes, huh, _ he thought to himself.

He parked his cart at the end of the aisle and began to head down as he spotted two kids pushing kid-sized carts down the aisle at full speed. He then spottedKokichi, who was beginning to make his way back to his cart after picking up a box of honeycomb-shaped cereal.

_ They’re going to hit Ouma-kun, _ he began to panic.

“Ouma-kun!” he shouted as he raced over to him.

“Hm? Saihara-cha—” the box fell from Kokichi’s hand and hit the floor as Shuichi grabbed his wrist and pulled him off to the side, their chests colliding.

The kids breezed past with their carts soon after, one of the cart’s wheels brushing the cereal box. Shuichi watched as the kids disappeared around the corner.

“Geez...they shouldn’t be running in the store. Not only that, they’re unsupervised! Who leaves their children unattended in a grocery store…?” he grumbled.

“Um...Saihara-chan?” Kokichi called out in a hesitant voice.

“Yeah, Ouma-kun?” Shuichi answered.

“Uh, well...you’re pretty close,” Kokichi stated.

Shuichi looked down and realized that Kokichi was right. Their chests were pressed together with Shuichi’s back against the shelves. His hand was wrapped securely around Kokichi’s wrist and the other somehow found its way to rest on Kokichi’s hip. Their faces were close, but not so close that it was uncomfortable.

_ Ba-thump. _

Shuichi’s eyes widened in surprise.

_ Ba-thump. _

_ Wait...why is my heart racing all of a sudden, _ he asked himself.

_ Ba-thump, ba-thump. _

“U-Um, Saihara-chan…”

_ Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump— _

“Saihara-chan, you can let go of me now…” Kokichi’s soft voice yanked Shuichi back into reality.

“A-Ah...sorry…” Shuichi stuttered, releasing Kokichi.

“Uh...I’m gonna get going, alright?” Kokichi said as he pulled away.

Before Shuichi could respond, Kokichi turned away and headed back to his cart. He looked down and saw the box of cereal that Kokichi was holding before he pulled him out of the middle of the aisle.

“Ah!” he picked up the box. “Ouma-kun, you forgot your—” Kokichi disappeared around the corner before Shuichi could finish his sentence.

He sighed deeply as he recalled what transpired between them not too long ago. It was like time had stopped right then. He recalled the feeling of Kokichi pressed against him, his hand on his hip, Kokichi’s warm skin against his hand, the peppermint in his breath and the shea butter vanilla scent that clung to him.

Shuichi’s heart raced faster, his cheeks a bright red.

_ Now I can’t stop thinking about it, _ he thought to himself.

He brought the cereal box up and it connected with his forehead. He did this a few more times while groaning loudly.

_ Gosh, what is wrong with me? _

* * *

Kokichi disappeared down the baking aisle, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest and his cheeks painted a bright red. His hands flew over his racing heart, hoping to calm it down.

_ Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, Saihara-chan was very close! He was so close! Like, we’ve been close before, but this is the first time it’s been so...intimate, _ he thought to himself.

“And it happened at work, too...!” he groaned out loud.

“Um, Ouma-kun? Are you alright?”

Kokichi looked to meet lock eyes with concerned green-grey ones looking down at him.

“Oh...Naegi-senpai…” Kokichi trailed off.

“I saw you on your knees, so I came to see if you’re doing okay…” Makoto trailed off.

It was only then that Kokichi realized he had slumped down onto the floor at some point during his freak out moment with Makoto bending down to check on him.

“I’m alright!” he immediately shot up. “Totally fine!” he declared.

“If you say so...make sure you finish this order soon,” Makoto told him.

“Alright, Naegi-senpai,” Kokichi replied as Makoto returned to his cart and headed to the next aisle.

He sighed.

_ Okay, let’s get back to work. We can think about this later, _ he told himself.

He looked down at his Baymax, seeing that the honeycomb cereal was supposed to go into tote three. Then, it hit him.

_ Shit! I must have dropped the cereal box when Saihara-chan pulled me out of the way of those kids. I need to get it back, _ he thought to himself.

“But Saihara-chan might still be down that aisle…” he mumbled.

He sighed again.

“I’ll just skip it and pick it up later…” he mumbled as he pressed the number three on his Baymax and got back to work.

* * *

Later that night, Kokichi stepped out of the bathroom in an Ariana Grande concert shirt and black pajama pants with a skull pattern on it, towel drying his hair.

_ Ah, that was a relaxing bath! Now I just need to drink some milk, _ he thought to himself.

He headed downstairs and was about to turn down the hallway when there was a knock on the door.

“I wonder who that could be…” he muttered as he walked over to the door and opened it to reveal Shuichi, who had on a grey Abercrombie and Fitch hoodie, dark blue jogging pants, and grey running sneakers.

“Saihara-chan?!” he exclaimed in shock.

“Yeah...hey, Ouma-kun…” Shuichi panted out.

Immediately, Kokichi thought back to what happened earlier today and he had to fight the blush that tried to crawl onto his cheeks.

“Saihara-chan, did you just run here?” he poked his head outside looked over at Shuichi’s house. “We literally live next door to each other,” he commented.

“I just came here from the park. I was exercising with Momota-kun and Harukawa-san when I remembered that I needed to see you. It’s important,” Shuichi explained.

Kokichi’s heart fluttered at Shuichi’s words.

_ He came to see me...he needed to see me. Me! And it’s important, too, _ he thought to himself.

He began to muse over what that important matter might be as Shuichi spoke.

“I’m sorry for what I said last night about you wanting to be Sleeping Beauty. It was pretty insensitive. You can Sleeping Beauty if you’d like. I actually think you’d make an awesome Sleeping Beauty!” Shuichi bowed low. “So, please forgive me, Ouma-kun,” he said.

“S-Saihara-chan! You don’t need to—” he watched as Shuichi dropped to his hands and knees and moved into a dogeza position. “Saihara-chan, you don’t need to do that! Stand up! Besides, I’m already over that!” he exclaimed.

Shuichi rose his head.

“You are?” he asked.

“I am, so please stand up,” Kokichi said.

Shuichi slowly stood, looking anywhere but at Kokichi.

“I still feel bad, though…” he trailed off.

Kokichi sighed.

“Well, if you insist, then wait here. I need to grab something,” he said.

He turned and dashed off to the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen, he spotted what he was looking for.

_ There it is, _ he thought to himself as he picked up a small goodie bag filled with the cookies he made the other day.

He headed out and walked back over to Shuichi, who was waiting patiently.

“Hold out your hands, Saihara-chan,” he said.

Shuichi did as he was told and Kokichi dropped the goodie bag into his hands. Shuichi eyed the bag curiously

“What is…?” he questioned.

“The cookies I made the other day. I already planned to give you some, but I kept forgetting to do it.” Kokichi twirled some hair around his finger. “It’s frosted sugar cookies, snickerdoodle, and almond cookies,” he explained.

“I see…” Shuichi smiled. “Thank you,” he said.

“Well, I’m glad you accepted my token of forgiveness.” Kokichi watched the moon rising overhead. “It’s getting late,” he commented.

“It is. I should get going, my uncle’ll start to worry.” Shuichi waved. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow, Ouma-kun,” he said.

“Yeah. See you tomorrow, Saihara-chan,” Kokichi said.

He closed the door and as soon as he did that, he let out a squeal.

“Oh my god, he said I’d make an awesome Sleeping Beauty!” he exclaimed.

A giddy feeling bubbled up inside him as he brought his hands up to his reddening cheeks.

“This is why I love Saihara-chan so much...he’s so sweet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something to Know:  
-The number three on the Baymax: You push this button to skip an item and return to it later; it's a pretty helpful number to remember when picking groceries, especially if you don't know what the item is!  
\------------------------------------------------------  
You can find me on Tumblr @kawaiikichi!  
Link: http://kawaiikichi.tumblr.com/


	5. Aisle 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roles for the play are revealed.  
Shuichi sees something he doesn't like at Starbucks.  
Rehearsals together are discussed.  
Shuichi's uncle is back at it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you guys! I'm back with chapter five of Love on Aisle Four! This chapter is a little on the shorter side and isn't as eventful as the previous chapter, but there's still something to look forward to: the roles for the play!
> 
> With that, here is chapter five! I hope you guys like and let me know what you all think in the comments section! :D

Everyone stared at the board that Friday, the roles for the play written out on it.

“I wonder how we’re going to pick roles…” Shuichi trailed off.

“Forget how! I’m wondering what roles we’re going to get. I want to be the prince because he’s the hero that saves the day!” Kaito declared, pumping his fist into the air.

“Watch you end up in the tech crew,” Maki deadpanned.

“Ouch, you wound me,” Kaito said.

“Good.”

“Maki Roll, you know I’d die for you.”

“Then perish.”

Kaito shot his girlfriend a dejected look as Kaede giggled.

“Tough love at its finest,” she commented.

Maki glared at her.

“Do you want to die?” she asked.

“No, no, not at all,” Kaede said.

Shuichi laughed as Rantaro clapped his hands, immediately gathering the attention of the other students.

“Alright, you guys, it’s time to pick roles! We’ll be drawing lots,” he said.

“Lots?” Kaede questioned.

“Why lots?” Miu asked.

“So that it won’t be biased. It’ll be fair this way.” Kirumi explained.

“Well, that makes sense,” Shuichi commented.

“Now, everyone is going to come up one by one and draw a lot from the bowl. Each piece of paper has a number written on it that will be associated with a role. But, don’t look at it until everyone has drawn one. Once everyone has one, we will reveal who is playing what role,” Rantaro explained.

“Does that make sense?” Kirumi asked.

The others nodded in response and lined up to pull lots. Once everyone drew one, Kirumi spoke.

“Alright, let’s begin. Who has number one?” she asked.

“I do!” Kokichi chirped.

“Okay...so, you’ll be playing Sleeping Beauty, Ouma-kun,” Kirumi said as she wrote down his name beside Sleeping Beauty.

“Wait, what?! I’ll actually be playing Sleeping Beauty?!” Kokichi exclaimed.

“Huh?! Ouma’ll be playing Sleeping Beauty?! Isn’t that a role meant for a girl—” Rantaro cut Kaito off before he could finish his sentence.

“It’s fine. I find it quite refreshing, actually,” Rantaro spoke cooly.

Shuichi nudged Kaito in his side.

“Just drop it, Momota-kun,” he said as Kirumi spoke.

“Alright, let’s move on. Who has number two?” she asked.

“I do,” Shuichi replied.

“So, Saihara-kun, you’ll be playing the role of the prince,” she said.

Shuichi nearly choked on his spit.

“The prince?!” he exclaimed.

“Is there something wrong with that?” Kirumi asked, eyeing Shuichi curiously.

“N-No, nothing’s wrong with that…” Shuichi trailed off.

_ Yes, there is something wrong. Everything about this is wrong! Me, having the role opposite Ouma-kun? What are the odds, _ he asked himself.

“Now that we have assigned the roles, we’re going to pass the scripts out. For those of you in the tech crew, you will also get a script just so you will know when the change the sets for each scene,” Kirumi explained.

As Rantaro and Kirumi passed out the scripts, Shuichi saw what roles his friends got.

_So Akamatsu-san and Momota-kun will be playing Ouma-kun’s parents and Harukawa-san will be Maleficent...this’ll be interesting,_ he thought to himself

* * *

After clocking out for the day, Shuichi went to grab some coffee from the Starbucks in the store. As he got in line, he spotted Kokichi sitting across from Rantaro at the small seating area, the two of them chatting excitedly.

As Kokichi laughed, Shuichi felt his stomach churn. For some reason, he didn’t like what he saw.

_ Why does this bother me so much? This has never happened before, _ he thought to himself.

“Next!”

“Ah!” Shuichi rushed over to the counter. “Hi, I wound like a grande Americano with a cinnamon coffee cake, please,” he said.

“Alright. Your total comes to 955.96 yen.” the cashier said.

Shuichi took out his debit card and inserted the chip. It beeped after Shuichi completed the prompts and he took his card out as he was handed his coffee cake.

“Here’s your coffee cake. Your Americano will be done shortly,” the cashier said.

“Thank you,” Shuichi said as he took the coffee cake from the cashier.

Just then, a familiar voice called out to him.

“Hey, Saihara-chan! Over here!”

Shuichi looked over to see Kokichi waving him over.

“Come sit with us,” he said.

“I have to leave soon, though,” Shuichi told him.

“Oh, for real? Then, let’s go home together!” Kokichi chirped.

“Huh? No, you don’t need to come with me, Ouma-kun! I mean, you’re hanging out with Amami-kun, aren’t you?” Shuichi asked.

“It’s fine, Saihara-chan! Besides, we were just finishing up our conversation. Right, Amami-chan?” Kokichi said as he looked over at Rantaro.

Rantaro nodded.

“Yeah. My break is done anyway, so I gotta head back to the register.” Rantaro stood. “I’ll see you two on Monday,” he said.

“Yeah, see you Amami-kun,” Shuichi said.

“Bye-bye, Amami-chan!” Kokichi chirped as he waved goodbye.

Rantaro waved back before heading back to the register. Kokichi stood and made his way over to Shuichi.

“Also, walking home by yourself is lonely, don’t you think?” Kokichi asked.

“I guess you have a point,” Shuichi replied as the barista called his name.

After retrieving his drink, he left the store with Kokichi, who was sipping his mocha frappuchino.

“So, Saihara-chan,” he began.

“Yes?” Shuichi answered.

“Do you want to rehearse our lines together? I feel we’d do better if we practice together rather than alone,” Kokichi proposed.

“But we’ll also be reading it in class…” Shuichi trailed off.

“Yeah, but wouldn’t it be fun if we practiced together?” Kokichi asked.

“Well…”

“Well?”

“I guess we can, if that’s what you want to do, Ouma-kun.”

Kokichi’s eyes sparkled with delight.

“Yay!” he declared, hugging Shuichi from behind.

Shuichi let out a startled shout as Kokichi’s arms wrapped themselves around his waist. The feeling of those arms around him along with his chest pressed against his back and the scent of shea butter vanilla was enough to nearly make his heart explode.

_ This is too much for my heart! Too much! Please let go, Ouma-kun, _ he silently pleaded as a blush spread across his cheeks.

Kokichi hummed excitedly as he pulled away.

“I’m so happy~” he singsonged.

“Is that so…” Shuichi trailed off.

Kokichi eyed Shuichi curiously.

“Hey, Saihara-chan, are you alright? Your cheeks are red,” he stated.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine! It’s just really cold!” Shuichi said, laughing nervously.

_ I can’t tell him the real reason why. No way, no how, _ he thought to himself.

A few minutes later, they arrived in front of Kokichi’s home.

“Well, I’ll see you Monday, Saihara-chan,” Kokichi said.

“Yeah, see you then,” Shuichi replied, waving as Kokichi disappeared inside.

Shuichi lowered his hand and headed into his home. As he toed off his shoes and slipped on a pair of slippers, he saw a light coming from the end of the hall. He eyed it curiously.

_ Is Uncle still in the study,  _ he asked himself.

He walked down the hall towards the light and peeked inside the study.

Papers littered the floor and decorated the walls along with red yarn, which was tacked down to some sheets and connected to other ones. His uncle was seated on the floor amidst the papers, sifting through a pile next to him.

“You’re still working, Uncle?” he called out.

“Yes, my boy. This case is very complex, I can tell you that much,” Seiichirou said.

“Did you find anything?” 

“Well, besides their group name being Black Diamond and that they steal up to five million US dollars from each bank they’ve robbed from, not really.”

“Huh.”

Shuichi looked around the room.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” he said before turning and heading back down the hall.

He headed into his room and worked on his homework for some time before eating, showering, preparing for bed and eventually falling asleep, phone in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on Tumblr @kawaiikichi!  
Link: http://kawaiikichi.tumblr.com/


	6. Aisle 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi's got a troublesome customer.  
Chisa has made her appearance.  
Coffee "date" at Starbucks!  
Shuichi and Kokichi are going to have to...?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you guys! Here is the next chapter of Love on Aisle Four! Again, nothing of interest happens except for the end, which will lead into the next chapter and a whole lot of misunderstandings (once again).
> 
> I hope you guys like it and let me know what you think in the comments section! With that, here is chapter six :D

Shuichi pushed his cart down the soda aisle, sighing.

_ That was way too much Dr. Hopper...what, are these people hosting a Dr. Hopper party or something, _ he asked himself.

He stared at the cart.

_ Now the cart’s all heavy and hard to push, _ he thought to himself.

Shuichi sighed.

“This is what I get for choosing a large ambient order…” he grumbled.

Just as he was about to go down the next aisle, he saw Kokichi walking up to him with a baffled look on his face.

_ Uh...is he alright, _ he wondered to himself.

“Ouma-kun?” he questioned as Kokichi stopped before him.

“Can you call Chisa on your walkie? I don’t have mine on me,” Kokichi requested.

“Yeah, sure. Is there something wrong?” Shuichi asked as he pulled out his walkie.

“It’s this customer. Old guy, sitting in one of those disabled shopping carts. He asked me if we had any more honey wheat bread. I said I’d go check in the back for him, but he acted as if he didn’t hear me. I kept offering, he kept repeating the request and then told me that if we didn’t have any in the back, then we have to order some for him,” Kokichi explained.

“Order some? What the heck?” Shuichi questioned in surprise.

“I know. I asked if he meant a rain check, but he said no. He absolutely reeked of cigarettes, so I didn’t want to get too close,” Kokichi said.

“Ugh, I hate customers like that. Let me get Chisa, alright?” Shuichi suggested.

“Yeah, of course.”

“What aisle is he in?”

“Aisle twenty-six.”

“Alright.”

After contacting Chisa through his walkies and telling her to meet them down aisle twenty-six, they went to see the man Kokichi was trying to help.

“Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you?” Shuichi asked.

“Your honey wheat bread, do you have any more?” the man inquired.

“I am not sure, but I’ve called a manager over to help you,” Shuichi said.

“Why can’t you help me?"

“That is—”

“Hey!” a chirpy voice called out.

They turned to see Chisa, whose green eyes twinkled. Her orange hair was pulled into a high ponytail and she donned a pink floral blouse, dark denim jeans, and salmon pink Converse.

“Chisa…” Shuichi trailed off as she approached them.

“You two can go now. I’ll help him out,” she said with a smile.

“Alright. Thank you, Chisa,” Shuichi thanked her.

“Of course!” she chirped.

As she tended to him, Shuichi and Kokichi headed back to their carts.

“Ugh, now I have a headache,” Kokichi stated.

“Was it really that bad?” Shuichi asked.

“Yes, it was. The cigarette smell did nothing to help the situation, either,” Kokichi pointed out.

“I see…” Shuichi trailed off.

They stopped before Kokichi’s cart.

“Let’s go get Starbucks after this. Your shift ends the same time as mine, right?” Kokichi asked.

“Huh? Yeah, it does,” Shuichi said.

“So, let’s do it! It’ll be like a date or something like that!” Kokichi chirped.

Date.

That single word was enough to make Shuichi’s heart race.

_Date?! A date?! Oh my god...I never used to react to that word like that before! Just what is wrong with me,_ he asked himself.

“I...guess?” he answered uncertainly.

Kokichi stared at Shuichi, a blank look on his face.

“Um...Ouma-kun? Is something the matter?” Shuichi asked.

“Huh? Oh, nothing’s wrong!” the blank look vanished and was replaced with a grin. “I should go finish this order and you should go finish yours, too,” he said.

“Ah...yeah, I’ll go do that,” he said before turning and walking off.

As he headed back to his cart, he thought back to the blank look that crosses Kokichi’s face earlier.

_Why did he look like that,_ he asked himself.

He stopped at the end of aisle twenty.

“Did I say something weird…?”

* * *

As soon as Shuichi left, Kokichi’s cheeks turned red.

“He actually said it was a date…!” he exclaimed.

_I was only joking! And yet he said it was a date! Oh my god, I’m so happy,_ he thought to himself.

A smile spread across Kokichi’s lips as he pushed his cart forward, breezing through the order with a pep in his step.

* * *

After getting their drinks, Shuichi and Kokichi sat across from each other at a table.

“Ah! Now _ this _ feels better!” Kokichi declared.

“Does it now?” Shuichi asked, eyeing the caramel macchiato in Kokichi’s hand.

Kokichi smiled.

“Yup! It sure does!” he chirped in response.

His bright smile made Shuichi’s heart skip a beat.

_ So cute, _ he thought to himself.

At that moment, he wanted to slap himself.

_ Cute?! Did I really just think that?! Ouma-kun is not cute! He’s a boy, for crying out loud! Also, my heart shouldn’t be skipping a beat! Stop it, stupid heart,_ he mentally scolded himself.

Kokichi took a sip from his macchiato as he spoke.

“You wanna get together tomorrow and look over the script? We’re both off, so it should work out fine,” he suggested.

“Sure. It’ll have to be in the afternoon, though, because I’m going to see a movie with Akamatsu-san and the others in the morning,” Shuichi said.

“Okay. Sounds good,” Kokichi said.

Shuichi sipped on his Americano as he observed Kokichi, who had on a pastel rainbow striped sweatshirt with black pants that had a checkered strip on the sides and worn black Converse. His hair was pulled back into a small ponytail.

He didn’t know what it was about Kokichi that he suddenly found so attractive. Maybe it was the ponytail. Maybe it was his fashion sense. Maybe it was his eyes, his porcelain skin, his kissable lips—

Shuichi blushed furiously.

_Kissable…?! Okay, that’s it. Time for a distraction,_ he thought to himself.

“So, are you excited to play Sleeping Beauty for the play?” he asked, hoping this conversation would distract him.

“Sleeping Beauty?” Kokichi set his cup down. “Honestly, I’m a little shocked,” he admitted.

“Shocked?” Shuichi questioned.

Kokichi nodded.

“I honestly thought that I’d get a more minor role, not Sleeping Beauty. So, receiving the role shocked me. I mean, in all honesty, I don’t think I’ll do well in such an important role.” he explained.

“Well…” Shuichi set his Americano down. “I still stand by my statement that you’ll make a perfect Sleeping Beauty. I think you’ll do well, Ouma-kun. I believe in you.” he told him.

He looked at Kokichi and swore that he saw a faint blush on his cheeks. However, he quickly dismissed it as a figment of his imagination as Kokichi spoke.

“So! What do you think about your role as the prince?”

“The prince?”

“Yeah.”

Shuichi tapped a finger against his chin.

“Well...I’m also surprised that I got the role,” he said.

“Really? I think it suits you.” Kokichi commented.

Shuichi shook his head.

“Nah. Roles like these are meant for people like Momota-kun, who have more spunk than I do,” Shuichi explained.

“Eugh, no. That role is definitely _ not _ suited for Momota-chan.” Kokichi looked at Shuichi. “It’s more meant for you, in my opinion, Saihara-chan,” he stated.

Shuichi’s heart skipped another beat.

_ Stop it, stupid heart. Again, there’s no reason to be doing that, _ he silently chided.

“So, Saihara-chan.”

“Huh?” Shuichi was pulled out of his thoughts. “Y-Yeah?”

“You know the prince plays a big role in the play, right?” Kokichi asked.

“Well, yeah. I mean, he’s a main character and he’s also Sleeping Beauty’s Prince Charming—”

“Yes, but you know what he has to do in order to break the curse, right?”

“Yeah, I do. He has to kiss he—” at that moment, it hit him.

He has to kiss Kokichi in the play.

On the mouth.

If the blush wasn’t there before, it certainly was now. It spread to his ears as his mind was thrown into a state of chaos.

_ I have to kiss Ouma-kun! Like, actually kiss him! On the mouth! For real?! Oh, what do I do?! Will my heart be able to handle it? Actually, hold on a minute. Why am I freaking out so much? It’s not like I’m into Ouma-kun. We’re both guys! I’m straight, not gay. So, me being into him is impossible. So, there’s no need for me to be freaking out like this, _ he thought to himself.

“Oh…” he trailed off.

“Yeah...we’re gonna have to kiss,” Kokichi said.

Shuichi bit his lip as Kokichi continued.

“But don’t worry! It’s not like our lips _have_ to touch. I can teach you how to fake kiss! It would be weird for you to kiss me on the mouth, anyway,” Kokichi explained.

“Yeah...I think the fake will be good,” Shuichi said.

They both grew silent. Neither of them said a word to each other, choosing to focus on their coffee as they let the awkward atmosphere hang over them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on Tumblr @kawaiikichi!  
Link: http://kawaiikichi.tumblr.com/


	7. Aisle 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being in love really does suck.  
Shuichi and co. head to the movies!  
Shuichi and Kokichi get together for rehearsal.  
Let's see how this kiss scene goes!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you guys! I'm back with chapter seven of Love on Aisle Four! So, this chapter is pretty eventful from start to finish and we're going to finally see them start rehearsing and acting out this kiss scene. We'll see how it goes from there.
> 
> With that, here is chapter seven! I hope you guys like it and let me know what you all think in the comments below! :D

As soon as Kokichi got home, he flopped onto his bed on his stomach with a loud sigh

“I can’t believe I did that…” he trailed off.

_ Why did I have to bring up the kiss scene at the end?! Now I went and made things awkward,  _ he thought to himself.

He thought back to when they discussed the kiss scene at Starbucks earlier and how Shuichi reacted to the idea of fake kissing.

He almost sounded relieved that he didn’t have to actually kiss him.

That made his mind wander.

_I should have expected that. I mean, Saihara-chan’s straight, so there’s no way he’d like me like that. But, it still hurts that he doesn’t want to kiss me,_ he thought to himself.

It's not like he was attractive enough that Shuichi would_ want_ to kiss him.

A thought occurred to him.

_ Wait...I can be pretty, too! I can be pretty and attractive enough that he’d want to kiss me! Just like a girl! Just like Akamatsu-chan! I mean, she’s basically his ideal girl, so if I make myself as pretty as her, then he’ll definitely want to kiss me. I can become pretty like her, can’t I,  _ he asked himself.

He got off the bed and headed to the vanity he had beside the window. He sat before the mirror and reached for his makeup bag, unzipping it and dumping the contents onto the vanity counter. Reaching for his mascara, he unscrewed the top and applied some to his lashes. Then, he moved on to lip gloss and foundation before fixing his ponytail.

“I mean, I can be cute, too…” he trailed off, his voice cracking.

_ But in the end, that’s not going to change the fact that Saihara-chan will never like me back, _ he told himself.

He dissolved into sobs, tears streaming down his cheeks. He reached up to wipe them away as he sobbed louder.

_ Being in love sucks. _

* * *

Shuichi emerged from the station the next day, adjusting his wine red cashmere scarf properly around his neck as he spotted his friends.

“Saihara-kun! Over here!” Kaede called out.

She had on a white button-up shirt with a ruffled collar, a black blazer over it, a black and pink skirt with a piano and piano note pattern on it along with two pink bows at the top and a floral lace hem, white knee-length socks, and black Oxfords.

Shuichi smiled, waving as he approached them.

“Sorry for the wait. The train was delayed a bit,” he said.

“That’s fine, bro! No need to apologize!” Kaito declared.

He had on a galaxy pattern shirt that had the words “Keep Calm and Fly to Outer Space” in white block letters, baggy jeans, and white Nikes.

Maki twirled some hair around her finger.

She had on a mahogany red crop top with a red and black plaid skirt and black platform boots. The crop top exposed her ruby belly button piercing that she got last year in the States.

“Let’s get going. The movie’s going to start soon,” she suggested.

“Yeah! Let’s get going!” Kaede chirped.

The four of them left the station and began to head to the movie theater. Kaito and Maki were in front while Kaede and Shuichi lagged behind a bit.

“So, how had your morning been so far?” she asked.

“It’s been good so far,” Shuichi answered.

“That’s good,” Kaede said with a smile.

Shuichi glanced at Kaede, admiring her outfit and how it looked on her. But for some reason, it didn’t make his heart race.

_ That’s odd...Kaede looks cute in that outfit, but it’s not making me feel anything. Why is that, _ he asked himself.

He found his thoughts meandering in another direction and he began to imagine Kokichi in an outfit just like Kaede’s, but the skirt was a pair of piano and piano note patterned dress pants instead.

_ That _ got his heart racing.

He stopped in his tracks, a blush crawling onto his cheeks.

_ Wait, what was I thinking of just now?! Seriously, there’s something wrong with me, _ he thought to himself.

“Hey, Saihara-kun?”

Shuichi looked to see Kaede, who watched him with concern.

“Is something the matter? You suddenly stopped, so…” Kaede trailed off.

“Oh...nothing’s the matter. I’m fine,” he said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“If you say so…” she fell into step beside Shuichi as they resumed walking. “So, we were discussing lunch plans for after the movie. What are you in the mood to eat? I want curry rice!” she chirped.

“Ah...actually, I have to leave right after the movie. I promised Ouma-kun I’d meet with him today,” Shuichi explained.

“Ouma-kun?” Kaede questioned in surprise.

“Yeah. We’re going to rehearse our lines for the play,” Shuichi told her.

“I see...I should start doing that, too,” she said.

“You haven’t done it yet?” he questioned.

Kaede laughed nervously.

“No...I’ve been so busy that I haven’t gotten time to look it over…” she trailed off.

“Is that so…” Shuichi murmured.

“We’re here,” Maki called out as they stopped before the theater.

They bought their tickets along with their popcorn and drinks before heading to the auditorium the movie would be screened in. Kaito took Maki’s hand in his hand while she did bicker with him, she made no move to pull her hand out of his.

Shuichi watched them as he imagined himself in that same situation, holding hands with Kokichi as they headed to the auditorium—

He slapped himself with his free hand.

_ Stop thinking odd things, _ he told himself.

“Saihara-kun!” Kaede watched him in shock. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked.

“I’m okay. It’s just...there was a mosquito on my cheek, so I smacked it…” he trailed off.

Kaede eyed him curiously.

“But it’s October…?” she questioned.

Shuichi blushed a bright red in embarrassment.

_ Aaaaaaah! How could I forget?! It’s cold out! Why would mosquitoes be out at this time of year,  _ he asked himself.

“Oh. Now your cheeks are red,” she commented.

“It…! It’s just hot in here!” Shuichi began to fan himself. “Man, it sure is hot in here!” he declared loudly.

“Bro, you okay in the back there?” Kaito called out over his shoulder.

“Y-Yeah! I’m okay…” Shuichi trailed off.

“Good! Gotta make sure my bro’s okay, you know?” Kaito said, turning and giving Shuichi and thumbs up with his free hand.

Shuichi laughed nervously as they walked into the auditorium and they found their seats closer to the top. He tried to distract himself with the movie, but that did little to keep the thoughts of Kokichi at bay.

* * *

After the movie, Shuichi went straight home. As he got inside, he took out his phone and saw that Kokichi had responded to his previous text.

**Ouma-kun: Soooorry! I fell asleep so I’m now seeing your text...just let me know when you come home; I’ll come then.**

Shuichi slipped on a pair of slippers and headed up to his room as he typed out a reply.

**Shuichi: I’m home. Come over whenever you’re ready.**

He sighed, tossing his phone onto the bed as he undid his scarf.

“Man, this morning was crazy…” he mumbled.

_ Not to mention, I couldn’t even focus on the movie because I kept thinking about Ouma-kun, _ he thought to himself.

“Why do I keep thinking about him, anyway? Ever since that day on work, I’ve been feeling weird around him…” he wondered out loud.

He shrugged off his tan coat and hung it up in his closet along with his scarf as the doorbell rang.

“Coming!” he called out.

He rushed down the stairs and stopped before the front door. He took a deep sigh before opening the door.

Kokichi stood before him in a light grey hoodie, black yoga tights with a purple swirl pattern on them, and black slip-on Toms. His hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail.

Even in such plain clothes, Shuichi still found that Kokichi looked cute.

Shuichi felt his cheeks grow warm, suddenly growing self-aware of everything around him.

“H-Hey,” he stuttered out.

_ Wow, good job, Shuichi, _ he mentally scolded himself.

Kokichi smiled.

“Hi, Saihara-chan,” he greeted.

Shuichi stepped to the side.

“Come in,” he said.

“Thank you,” Kokichi responded.

As he walked inside, Shuichi noticed the dark circles under Kokichi’s eyes.

Is he okay, he asked himself.

He wanted to ask him if he was alright and if he got enough sleep last night, but he knew that Kokichi would start spouting out lies. So, he decided against it.

He closed the door and led Kokichi upstairs to his room. Kokichi plopped down onto Shuichi’s bed as he spoke.

“Thanks for having me over, Saihara-chan,” he said.

“Yeah, of course,” Shuichi replied.

“Is your uncle home?” Kokichi asked.

Shuichi shook his head.

“He’s at the agency. So, it’ll just be the two of us,” he explained.

“I see…” Kokichi trailed off.

It was only then that it hit Shuichi. They were going to be alone. Together.

The thought made Shuichi’s heart race.

_ And there goes my heart, racing once again. Seriously, why does it keep doing that, _ he asked himself.

He glanced at Kokichi, who was staring at his room attentively.

_I have never felt this nervous. Like, ever,_ he thought to himself.

“You have your script, right, Ouma-kun?” he asked.

“Of course I do.” Kokichi pulled his script out from his hoodie pocket. “Why wouldn’t I?” he asked.

“Just checking,” Shuichi replied.

He walked over to his desk and picked up his script, flipping through it as Kokichi spoke, patting the spot beside him on the bed.

“Come sit here,” he said.

“Huh?” Shuichi looked at where Kokichi was patting and then at Kokichi, his heart racing. “A-Ah, I’m fine here!” he said.

This made Kokichi pout.

“It’s your room, Saihara-chan. I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable and have you stand by your desk.” he patted the bed again. “Bring yourself over here,” he said.

Shuichi wanted to argue that he’d be fine by his desk, but he felt that they’ll just be talking in circles. So, he decided to give in and went to sit beside Kokichi, his heart hammering against his ribcage.

_ I can’t calm down, _ he thought to himself.

The closeness combined with the scent of shea butter vanilla and cinnamon gum was enough to make Shuichi’s heart nearly explode.

“Okay, so I’ll start reading the narrator’s lines—” Kokichi looked at Shuichi. “Hey...why are your cheeks so red?” he asked.

“Huh?” it was only then that Shuichi grew aware of his burning cheeks. The blush grew deeper.

“It...it’s just hot! Yeah, that’s what it is!” he shot up from the bed. “I’ll go turn the air conditioner on,” he said.

“Huh? But...I feel cool…?” Kokichi said.

Shuichi didn’t hear him as he headed over to the door.

“I’ll be back!” he declared, slipping out of the bedroom and closing the door behind him.

He pressed his back to the door, hand flying over his heart.

_ Seriously, why does my heart keep racing when it comes to Ouma-kun?! I don’t get it _ , he thought to himself.

He sighed, slumping onto the floor.

_ I need to get this checked out. _

* * *

After Shuichi returned, they began to read through the script, acting it out.

Before moving on to the scene where Sleeping Beauty pricks her finger on the spindle, Kokichi stopped. Shuichi stared at him in confusion.

“Why did you stop?” he asked.

“I need to show you how to fake kiss,” Kokichi said.

“So, you actually know how to do it, then?”

“Eh, if you count me reading up on it on WikiHow late last night as knowing how to fake kiss, then yeah, I do know how to do it.”

Shuichi rolled his eyes.

“Geez, Ouma-kun…” he trailed off.

“Nishishi!” Kokichi stood. “Stand up, Saihara-chan,” he instructed.

Shuichi stood and Kokichi pulled him over so that they were facing one another.

“So, here’s what you do,” Kokichi began.

He took Shuichi’s hand in his own. The action made Shuichi swallow.

_ He…he’s actually holding my hand, _ he thought to himself.

“You place your hand on the side of my neck like so.” Kokichi positioned Shuichi’s hand so that it was resting on his neck, fingers behind Kokichi’s ear and his thumb hovering over his lips. “Your thumb will rest against my lips and so, when you lean in, you’ll be kissing your thumb rather than my lips,” he explained.

Kokichi’s words sounded distant as Shuichi focused on his hand, rested on the side of Kokichi’s neck. His skin was pale, smooth and silky to the touch. His dark purple locks tickled the back of his hand with each small movement Kokichi made. Shuichi felt as if he would spontaneously combust at any minute.

“...chan! Saihara-chan!”

Shuichi looked away from his hand and locked eyed with a pouting Kokichi.

“Geez, Saihara-chan, you weren’t listening to me at all!” he complained.

“H-Huh?! Yeah, I was listening to you!” Shuichi exclaimed.

“Lies.”

“I’m telling the truth!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am sure! I would never lie!”

“Welp, if you say so!” Kokichi licked his lips. “I was asking if you understood how to execute the fake kiss,” he said.

Shuichi nodded, making Kokichi smile.

“Good!” he pulled away, Shuichi’s hand falling to his side. “Now, let’s continue, shall we?” he suggested.

“Y-Yeah! Let’s continue!” Shuichi said in response as he willed the blush that began to spread away.

They continued to read through the script, Shuichi’s nervousness growing. It peaked as they finally reached the kiss scene.

_ Okay, Shuichi...you can do this. You’re just faking it. It’s not like you’re kissing Ouma-kun for real, _ he told himself.

He released a sigh, looking down at his script as he spoke.

“Oh...she truly is a beautiful princess…” he trailed off.

He made his way over to Kokichi, who laid on his bed with his eyes closed and hands clasped together, resting on his chest. He kneeled down beside the bed and he placed his hand on the side of Kokichi’s neck.

“The true love’s kiss will wake you from your slumber, Sleeping Beauty,” he spoke.

He set the script down on the bed and he placed his thumb atop Kokichi’s lips. His lips were soft and plush against his thumb, making his heart race.

He could hear his heartbeat in his ears as he leaned in towards Kokichi. As their breaths mingled, Kokichi turned his head away. Shuichi watched in surprise.

“Ouma-kun…?” he questioned.

“I...I’m sorry.” Kokichi hid his face from view as he sat up. “I just remembered that there’s something I need to do. I have to go home,” he said.

“Oh...alright…” Shuichi trailed off.

Kokichi got off the bed and moved to grab his script.

“Again, I’m sorry,” he apologized.

“You don’t have to apologize, Ouma-kun,” Shuichi told him.

Kokichi shot him a sad smile before walking out of the bedroom. He heard the front door close soon after. Shuichi released a sigh that he didn’t know he had been holding in.

“Man, that was nerve-wracking…” he trailed off.

A frown tugged at his lips.

_That’s odd...he didn’t say he had other things to do,_ he thought to himself.

He continued to think about it as a thought came to him.

“Did he lie…?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on Tumblr @kawaiikichi!  
Link: http://kawaiikichi.tumblr.com/


	8. Aisle 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi has a small freak-out moment.  
An apology takes place.  
Kokichi makes a surprising suggestion.  
Another argument (and misunderstanding) occurs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you guys! I'm back with the next chapter of Love on Aisle Four! Things get intense at the end of this chapter and these two idiots come across a misunderstanding once again *sighs*
> 
> I hope you guys like and let me know what you think in the comments below!
> 
> And with that, here is chapter eight! :D

As soon as Kokichi was in his room, he collapsed onto his bed, his cheeks red. He groaned as he thought back on what transpired not too long ago.

_ Saihara-chan...he was going to kiss me. Like, it was a fake kiss, but it’s still a kiss, all the same, _ he thought to himself.

“Why did I chicken out of it?!” he flailed about on the bed. “Now he’s going to think something’s wrong with me! Or worse, he’ll find out that I lied about having something else to do!” he screamed into his pillow.

He groaned again, mentally beating himself up for his actions.

_ Oh, what do I do now, _ he asked himself.

He rolled onto his side and grabbed his phone, checking the time.

“I’ll text and apologize to him later.” he set his phone down. “For right now, I just want to curl up and die of embarrassment,” he said.

* * *

After completing his homework, Shuichi went downstairs to make dinner and watch some television. He seated himself on the couch with a bowl of pork ramen and began to eat as he turned the television on.

_ Maybe I’ll watch the news, _ he thought to himself.

Setting the bowl down on the coffee table, he picked up the remote and flipped through the channels before stopping at the news.

“This just in, the bank heist group, Black Diamond, slips out of the police and detective’s hands once again after robbing Dagoba Bank...:” the news reporter said.

Shuichi’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Black Diamond?!” he exclaimed.

_ Uncle was talking about them! Come to think of it, he never came home last night. Maybe he was busy tracking them, _ he wondered to himself.

He reached for his phone and dialed Seiichirou’s number, bringing the phone to his ear. After a couple of rings, he heard his uncle’s voice.

“Shuichi?”

“Uncle! I just saw something about the Black Diamond group on the news! Is everything okay?” Shuichi asked.

“For the most part, yeah. But, one of the officers got injured during a small shootout during their escape.”

“I see...are  _ you  _ okay, Uncle?”

“I’m okay, Shuichi. Just very exhausted. I’ll be back in the morning.”

“Alright.”

“I gotta get back. I’ll see you tomorrow, Shuichi.”

“Yeah, see you then. I love you, Uncle.”

“Love you too. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Shuichi hung up soon after. Shuichi exited out of the phone app and sighed as the news switched over to a more political headline.

_ I hope things go well with this case, _ he thought to himself.

That was when he saw that he received a text message.

“A text message…?” he murmured.

He went into his messages and saw that it was from Kokichi.

_ It’s from Ouma-kun, _ he thought to himself as he went into their text conversation and read what the text said.

**Ouma-kun: I wanted to apologize again for leaving so suddenly. I’m sure you were confused.**

_ Oh...he’s apologizing for leaving earlier today, _ he thought to himself.

**Shuichi: I said you didn’t have to apologize, Ouma-kun.**

**Ouma-kun: I still felt like I needed to.**

**Shuichi: Then, I forgive you. Did you manage to finish what you needed to do?**

**Ouma-kun: I did!**

**Shuichi: That’s good :)**

**Ouma-kun: Welp, now that I’ve apologized, I gotta go shower. I’ll see you in school tomorrow, Saihara-chan!**

**Shuichi: See you tomorrow, Ouma-kun.**

Shuichi set his phone down and looked back at the television, the news having gone on a commercial break.

“A shower, huh…” he trailed off.

His mind drifted and thought back to when he saw Kokichi that night to apologize for his Sleeping Beauty comment. Back then, Kokichi looked like he had stepped out of the shower with his damp hair, baggy pajamas, and the scent of shea butter vanilla lotion wafting through the air and permeating it—

Shuichi blushed.

“Cute…” he trailed off.

He didn’t bother to correct his train of thought as he went deeper into daydream land.

* * *

“Now that we all have our scripts, we’re going to read through them as a class.” Rantaro looked over at Tsumugi. “Shirogane, I have a favor to ask of you,” he said.

“Yes?” Tsumugi answered.

“Will you make the costumes for the play? We can really use your sewing skills,” he asked.

“Oh!” Tsumugi’s eyes sparkled at the idea of making costumes. “Yes, I’ll do it! I would love to, as a matter of fact!” she gushed.

“Good. This won’t affect you practicing your lines, will it?” Kirumi inquired.

“No! It’ll be fine!” Tsumugi chirped.

“If you say so,” Kirumi said.

Rantaro smiled.

“Any questions before we start?” he asked.

“I have one,” Kokichi said as he rose his hand.

“Yes, Ouma-kun?” Rantaro said.

“Well, it’s more of a suggestion than a question.” Kokichi took his script out. “Can we change the kiss scene so that the prince doesn’t kiss Sleeping Beauty on the lips?” he asked.

Shuichi stared at Kokichi in surprise.

_ Wait...what? _

“You want to change it?” Rantaro questioned.

Kokichi nodded.

“Maybe Saihara-chan can do a forehead kiss or something instead,” he suggested.

“But then the curse won’t be broken, Ouma!” Kaito shouted.

“Oh, shut up, space wacko!” Miu hollered, flipping him the middle finger.

“Huh?!” Kaito exclaimed.

“Everyone, settle down.” the class quieted down. “We can change it to that if that’s what you’d like, Ouma-kun,” Kirumi told him.

“Please, if you can,” Kokichi said.

“Of course.” Kirumi looked at Rantaro. “Let’s do it,” she said.

Rantaro sighed.

“Okay, let’s do it.” he looked back at the rest of the class. “Flip to the kiss scene and change it to the prince kissing Sleeping Beauty on the forehead,” he said.

As Shuichi flipped through the script, he began to think.

_ I was fine with doing the fake kiss! Why would he change it all of a sudden, _ he asked himself.

He stared at Kokichi, who began teasing Keebo.

_ I’m going to need to talk to him after school. _

* * *

Kokichi walked with Rantaro after school.

“Well, this is unusual. You don’t usually walk with me to work,” Rantaro commented.

“Eh, I just felt like doing it for a change.” Kokichi flashed him puppy dog eyes. “I’ve been missing you, Amami-chan~” he singsonged.

“I know you do. Now, tell me the truth. Did something happen between you and Saihara-kun again?” Rantaro asked.

Kokichi bit his lip.

“Well—”

“Ouma-kun!”

They stopped, turning to see Shuichi running over to them. Kokichi’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Saihara-chan?!” he exclaimed in shock.

Rantaro grinned.

“Well,” he patted Kokichi on the shoulder, “Good luck with Saihara-kun,” he told him before walking off.

“Wait, you’re just going to leave me?!” he shouted, turning to look at Rantaro.

Rantaro only raised his hand in a nonchalant wave as he disappeared around a corner. Kokichi frowned at this.

_ Damn him, _ he thought to himself.

He sighed as Shuichi approached him.

“Finally, I found you…” Shuichi panted out.

“You were looking for me?” Kokichi questioned, turning to look at him.

“I was.” Shuichi stared at him. “We need to talk,” he said.

“Okay...about what?”

“The change to the kiss scene in the script.”

Kokichi bit his lip.

_ I had a feeling he’d bring this up, _ he thought to himself as Shuichi continued.

“I was fine with doing the fake kiss. So, why did you change it?” Shuichi asked.

“You were obviously disturbed by us having to kiss from when I first brought it up, right?” Kokichi responded.

“Huh?” Shuichi questioned.

“It was pretty obvious. Not just the kiss itself, the fake kiss put you on edge, didn’t it?”

“Well, I wasn’t the one that turned their head as I was about to do it.”

Kokichi’s eyes widened. He stared at Shuichi in bewilderment.

“What?” he questioned.

“You, who suggested the fake kiss to begin with, turned away. Are you sure you’re also not comfortable? Or is it because you actually wanted me to kiss you for real?” Shuichi asked.

Kokichi could only stare.

_ Just what the hell is Saihara-chan trying to get at? I mean, it would be a dream come true if he kissed me for real, but realistically speaking, it’s impossible. I only made the suggestion so that he’d be more comfortable with acting out the kiss scene,  _ he thought to himself.

He let out a chuckle.

“You amuse me, Saihara-chan.” he glared daggers at him. “What is so wrong with changing the script so that a straight guy doesn’t have to kiss a gay guy on the mouth?!” he shouted.

Shuichi stared at Kokichi in shock. He rarely ever got frustrated and expressed said frustration like that.

“Ouma-kun—”

“If you really think about it, I’m being pretty damn considerate,” Kokichi bit out.

He turned away.

“I’m going to work. I’ll see you there, I guess,” he said before walking off.

“Wait, Ouma-kun—” Shuichi tried to reach for him, but he was already out of sight.

Shuichi groaned as Kokichi disappeared around the corner.

“Why do I keep messing up when it comes to Ouma-kun and this play…?” he wondered out loud to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on Tumblr @kawaiikichi!  
Link: http://kawaiikichi.tumblr.com/


	9. Aisle 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Munakata will be coming to town soon.  
Bring on the rude customers!  
Shuichi gets himself in trouble...?  
Yet another apology occurs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, you guys! Here is the next chapter of Love on Aisle Four! This chapter is a pretty interesting one, especially since Shuichi finds himself in some sort of trouble...also, these two finally work things out! So, that's one thing to look forward to.
> 
> I hope you guys like it and with that, here is chapter nine! Let me know what you think in the comments below~

“The manager will be coming?” Shuichi questioned.

“Well, to be exact, it’s the manager that oversees this district’s Kuma Marts, Munakata Kyousuke. He’ll be here for a couple of days to see how our store is doing,” Kirumi explained.

The department was currently having a huddle session to discuss their goals for the week along with events that were going on over the course of a few days.

“So, we need to be on our best behavior, especially you two.” Kirumi looked at Kokichi and Shuichi. “Do you understand?” she asked.

“Yes,” they said in unison.

They looked at each other for a split second before looking away. Kirumi eyed them.

_Another argument, huh...these two never used to fight this much. What’s going on,_ she asked herself.

She released a sigh.

“Well, that’s it for the weekly huddle. Now, let’s get back to work,” she said.

They broke out of their huddle circle, Shuichi going to grab a strip of labels for a sixty down ambient. After sticking the labels on the totes of one of the carts, he started on his order run.

As he scanned the barcode on some detergent, he began to think.

_ Great, now I made things awkward between Ouma-kun and me again...what do I do now, _ he asked himself.

After placing the detergent in tote six, he breezed through the other aisle. As he passed the frozen section, he saw a female customer approach Kokichi, who happened to be nearby.

_ Shoot, it’s Ouma-kun, _ he thought to himself. 

He listened as Kokichi spoke.

“...not sure. But, I can check in the back if you’d like—”

Before Kokichi could finish his sentence, the woman walked off, leaving behind a bewildered Kokichi. Shuichi could only stare in surprise.

_ She…just ignored him. _

This pissed Shuichi off.

_ How could she do that?! He was offering to look in the back to see if we had what she was looking for and she just ignored him? How rude, _ he thought to himself.

His hands balled themselves into fists, gripping his Baymax tightly.

_ I could care less if she’s a customer. She needs to be put in her place, _ he thought to himself.

Before he could stop himself, he made his way over to her, passing a shocked Kokichi.

“Saihara-chan—”

“Excuse me, ma’am?” Shuichi called out.

The woman stopped, turning to look at him.

“Yes?” she answered.

“You didn’t let him finish his sentence. He was still talking to you, ma’am,” Shuichi told her.

“I know that he was still talking.” she flipped some of her wavy black hair over her shoulder. “I just don’t have time to listen to someone who’s so incompetent,” she stated.

Shuichi blinked.

“Did...you just call him incompetent?” he asked.

“I don’t know what else he  _ could _ be,” she said.

Something snapped from within Shuichi. She needed to be put in her place.

“Now, look here, lady, I hope you’re not this vile and disgusting to everyone come across,” he bit out.

She eyed him in shock.

“Excuse me?” she asked incredulously.

“Yeah, you heard me. You’re vile and disgusting! Who walks off while someone is still talking to them? You need to learn some common sense and respect,” he snapped.

“How rude! One worker is incompetent and the other is foul-mouthed!” she glared at Shuichi. “I’m going to tell a manager about this!” she screeched.

“Go ahead, then! Tell them! My name’s Saihara, so tell them that when you go and cry to them like the spoiled brat you are! In the meantime, learn how to show some goddamn respect to retail workers, lady!” Shuichi shouted.

Her lip trembled before she screamed and marched off, bumping past Shuichi in the process.

He released a shaky sigh he didn’t realize he had been holding in.

_ Man, that was scarier than I thought it would be...but, it was definitely worth it, _ he thought to himself.

He turned and began to walk back to his cart. Then, Kokichi called out to him.

“Saihara-chan—”

Shuichi placed a hand on Kokichi’s shoulder.

“Don’t let people walk all over you, alright?” he told him before heading back to his cart and walking off.

* * *

Kokichi arrived at work the next day to see something very unusual. He made his way over to Kirumi.

“Hey, Toujou-chan?” he called out.

“Yes, Ouma-kun?” she answered.

“Where’s Saihara-chan?” he asked.

“You didn’t know?” Kirumi questioned in surprise.

Kokichi arched a brow in confusion.

“Was I supposed to know something…?” he asked.

“Saihara-kun got suspended from work for a week,” Kirumi told him.

Kokichi’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.

“What?!” he exclaimed in shock.

“I know. It shocked everyone else too, since Saihara-kun’s such a good worker,” she stated.

“What happened?” Kokichi asked, dread filling him.

“From what I heard among the other workers, he spoke very rudely to a customer. So now, he’s on suspension for a week,” she explained.

Kokichi swallowed.

_I knew it...he got in trouble because of me,_ he thought to himself.

“I see…” he trailed off.

“There’s no use dwelling on it. He’ll be back next week.” Kirumi handed him a strip of labels for a twenty-six row ambient order. “Here’s that. Now, get started on it,” she said.

“Alright,” Kokichi replied.

He started on his order and began to go through the aisles. However, it felt like he was walking through molasses. All he could think about was Shuichi’s week-long suspension.

_ He got himself suspended to defend me, despite what I said to him yesterday...now I feel bad, _ he thought to himself.

Kokichi bit his lip as he stopped in the middle of the detergent aisle.

_ I need to apologize to him. _

* * *

Shuichi sat at his desk, working away at his apology letter. Upon making a mistake, he crumpled up the paper and chucked it behind him, the paper joining the fifteen other crumpled papers on the floor.

_ I keep making mistakes...maybe I need something to help me focus, _ he thought to himself.

“I’ll go make myself some coffee…” he mumbled.

He headed downstairs to the kitchen. As he passed by the front door, there was a knock. Shuichi eyed it in confusion.

_ I wonder who it is at this time of night _ , he thought to himself.

“Yes?” Shuichi called out as he opened the door.

He was surprised to see Kokichi at his doorstep.

“Ouma-kun?” he questioned in surprise.

Kokichi smiled.

“Hey,” he greeted.

“H-Hey…” he opened the door wider. “Would you like to come in?” he asked.

“Only if you’d like me to.”

“I would.”

“Alright, then. Excuse the intrusion…”

He toed off his Vans and put on a pair of slippers as Shuichi spoke.

“Would you like tea or coffee or…?” he asked.

“Tea would be good,” Kokichi replied.

“Alright,” Shuichi said.

They walked down the narrow hall to the kitchen in silence. Upon arriving at the kitchen, Kokichi moved to sit at the dining table and Shuichi went to turn on the electric kettle.

“Black or green tea?” Shuichi asked.

“Black, please,” Kokichi replied.

“Alright,” Shuichi said.

He took out two mugs and put instant coffee in one and a teabag in the other. The kettle shut off and he poured the hot water into the mugs.

“How much sugar do you take with your tea?”

“Four.”

“Four?”

“Yeah. I like my tea sweet.”

“I see…”

As he waited for the tea to draw, he went to get the sugar along with two spoons. He took one of the spoons and began to stir his coffee and water together.

“I’m sorry.”

Kokichi’s soft apology made Shuichi stop stirring. His eyes grew wide.

“...Huh?” he said.

“I said that I’m sorry,” Kokichi said.

Shuichi took the teabag out and added the sugar to Kokichi’s tea, stirring it with the other spoon. He stirred as Kokichi continued.

“What I said yesterday about the play...I’m sorry for snapping at you like that. I shouldn’t have done that. And then you ended up getting suspended from work for a week because of me…” he trailed off.

“Ouma-kun, you don’t need to apologize.” Shuichi picked the mugs up and he made his way over to the dining table. “It makes sense why you would get upset,” he said.

“But—”

“I mean it. Don’t apologize.”

Shuichi set the mugs down.

“As for that rude lady, I did it because I wanted to. So, don’t feel bad,” he said.

“I can’t help it, though…” Kokichi mumbled.

Shuichi sipped on his coffee as he stared at Kokichi.

“I’d like for us to stop fighting, Ouma-kun. About the play, about this and that, about everything.” he extended his pinky finger. “Can we?” he asked.

Kokichi looked at Shuichi’s extended pinky finger and then at Shuichi.

“Pinky swear? Seriously?” he asked.

“Yes, seriously. I don’t want you to feel bad about my suspension. So, let’s pinky swear on that and also that we won’t fight anymore,” Shuichi explained.

Kokichi took a sip from his tea before nodding.

“Alright. I’ll pinky swear on it,” he said.

Shuichi smiled.

“I’m glad,” he said.

Kokichi reached out and curled his pinky finger around Shuichi’s. Shuichi ignored the way his heart raced as they pinky swore.

_Ah...now this feels much better,_ he thought to himself.

He smiled at Kokichi and Kokichi smiled back, knowing that this would be the end of the arguing between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a friendly reminder: be nice to retail workers, especially during the holiday season! :D  
\-----------------------------------------------   
You can find me on Tumblr @kawaiikichi!  
Link: http://kawaiikichi.tumblr.com/


	10. Aisle 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi and Seiichirou head to the Tokyo Metropolitan Bank.  
Movie date: start!  
Shuichi and Kokichi act like two awkward dorks.  
There might be another date in the near future...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you guys! I'm back with the next chapter of Love on Aisle Four, which is considerably fluffy. This is also this fic's first update of 2020! I hope you guys had a good New Year :D
> 
> I hope you guys like it and let me know what you think down in the comments below. With that, here is chapter ten!

“So, Uncle.” Shuichi looked at Seiichirou. “Why are we going to Tokyo Metropolitan Bank?” he asked.

“I have a hunch,” Seiichirou replied.

“A hunch?” Shuichi questioned.

“Yeah. I’ve noticed a pattern in the places they’ve selected for their heists. They’ve started with small, lesser-known banks and are gradually working their way up to bigger and more popular banks. I think that Tokyo Metropolitan Bank might be their “big bang” before they vanish.”

“You think Black Diamond might vanish?”

“It’s most likely.”

“I see…”

Shuichi watched out the window as his phone chimed. He picked it up and saw that it was a text from Kokichi.

**Ouma-kun: Are you free tomorrow? There’s this movie I wanna see that I think will interest you.**

Shuichi smiled as he typed out a reply.

**Shuichi: Yeah, I’m free tomorrow. What time were you thinking?**

“You look happy, Shuichi.”

“Huh? I do?” Shuichi questioned, eyeing his uncle.

Seiichirou grinned.

“You do. Perhaps it’s because of a girl?” he asked.

“What?! No, that’s not it!” Shuichi exclaimed.

“Or is it a boy? You know I’m very accepting, Shuichi, so if you do like boys, I have no problems with that,” Seiichirou stated.

“Well…” Shuichi trailed off.

“So I’m right? You have a boyfriend, Shuichi?”

“He’s not my boyfriend—”

At that moment, Shuichi’s phone dinged. Shuichi grabbed for it faster than Seiichirou could blink. He went into his texts and read Kokichi’s response.

**Ouma-kun: There’s an early showing @ 11:30 am. Or we could go to the 2:10 pm one.**

Seiichirou chuckled.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“I am very sure! Ouma-kun is my friend! But recently…” Shuichi trailed off.

“Recently…?” Seiichirou asked.

“I’ve been feeling weird around him. Every time we touch, every time he smiles, every time he does anything, my heart begins to do things. Sometimes it’ll race a lot, sometimes it’ll skip a beat, and other times, it’ll want to burst or leap out of my chest. And my cheeks get red, too! It’s so confusing. I have no idea why I feel this way…” Shuichi explained.

Seiichirou smiled as he turned left.

“I know what it is,” he said.

“You do?” Shuichi questioned.

“Yes. But it’s something you need to figure out for yourself, Shuichi,” Seiichirou told him.

“Something I need to figure out for myself…” Shuichi trailed off as they arrived at the bank.

_I wonder what that might be,_ he wondered to himself as he got out of the car and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Shuichi stood near the station, going through his Twitter feed on his phone.

He had on a black zip-up sweater, jeans, and dark brown Oxfords.

He scrolled through and saw one of Tsumugi’s tweets, which said that she was halfway done with making costumes for the school play along with a picture of some of the costumes.

_ Wow! The costumes look amazing so far, _ he thought to himself.

He commented on her tweet as a voice called out to him.

“Saihara-chan!”

Shuichi looked up from his phone to see Kokichi making his way over to him.

He had on a black and grey raglan long sleeve shirt with the kanji for “What?” written in sparkly pink font, a Burberry pattern coat over it, faded skinny jeans with tears by the knees, and black booties. His hair was pulled back into a small ponytail.

Everything about the outfit was just—

“Cute…” Shuichi trailed off before he could stop himself.

“Hm?” Kokichi questioned as he approached him.

“Ah!” Shuichi’s cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. “I-It’s nothing!” he stuttered out.

Kokichi eyed Shuichi curiously before shrugging.

“Welp, alright! Let’s get going, yeah?” he suggested.

“Y-Yeah…” Shuichi said as they left the station.

As they walked side by side, Shuichi smelled peppermint coming from Kokichi. This surprised him.

_ Peppermint? Did he forgo the shea butter vanilla today, _ he wondered to himself.

“You know, Saihara-chan,” Kokichi began, pulling Shuichi from his thoughts.

“Yeah?” Shuichi answered.

Kokichi stared at Shuichi with a devious smile on his lips.

“This kinda feels like a date,” he commented.

“Geh…!” Shuichi squawked out.

_ Oh, heck! Now that I think about it, it actually is something like a date! The two of us, going to watch a movie...oh god, it really is like one, _he thought to himself.

Shuichi blushed as Kokichi giggled.

“I’m just teasing you,” he said.

“I...I see…” Shuichi said with a nervous chuckle.

_ Even so, that still made my heart race, _ he thought to himself.

Shuichi bit his lip.

_ But a date with Ouma-kun, huh...I actually like the sound of that, _ he thought to himself.

They arrived at the movie theater a few minutes later. After buying their tickets, they went to the concession stand.

“What kind of popcorn do you want, Saihara-chan?” Kokichi asked.

“Butter is fine,” Shuichi replied.

“Okay! I’ll pay for it, alright?” Kokichi chirped.

“What? No, I’ll pay for it,” Shuichi said.

“No,_ I’ll _ pay for it!”

“Ouma-kun, let me pay for it!”

“Nope! I’m gonna do it! You can do it next time!”

Shuichi’s eyes grew wide at the words “next time.”

_ Next time? Like, there’ll definitely be a next time, _ he asked himself.

He blushed.

_ A next time, huh...that would be nice, _he thought to himself.

“A-Ah, it’s our turn! Let’s go up, Saihara-chan,” Kokichi said.

“Alright,” Shuichi replied as they went up to the next available register.

“Hi! What can I get for you guys today?” the woman at the register asked.

“Hi! Could I get a caramel popcorn box set with grape Panta and a butter popcorn box set with…” Kokichi looked over at Shuichi. “What soda would you like?” he asked.

“A Coke, please,” Shuichi replied.

“Okay...and a butter popcorn box set with Coke!” Kokichi chirped.

“Alright...will that be all for you guys today?” the woman asked.

“Yup, that’s it!” Kokichi replied.

“So, your total comes out to ¥2339.05,” the woman said.

Kokichi took out his debit card and inserted the chip, following the prompts on the screen. He took his card out soon after as their popcorn box sets were brought out.

“Here are your box sets! Would you like your receipt?” the woman asked.

Kokichi shook his head.

“No thanks,” he said.

The woman smiled.

“You two enjoy your movie!” she chirped.

“Thanks!” Shuichi said as they began to head to auditorium ten.

“Maaaaaan, she sure put on the customer service facade thick!” Kokichi exclaimed.

“Huh? You could tell?” Shuichi questioned in surprise.

“Yup!” Kokichi declared.

They walked into the auditorium, where they saw that half of it was filled already.

“Wow, that’s a lot of people,” Shuichi commented. 

“This movie is a spinoff of the Fast and Furious franchise, so I’m not surprised,” Kokichi stated.

They managed to find seats in the middle and sat down.

“How did you know I like the Fast and Furious movies anyway, Ouma-kun?” Shuichi asked.

Kokichi took a sip from his Panta before speaking.

“I remember you mentioning it at one time,” he replied.

“I see…” Shuichi trailed off.

He nibbled on his popcorn as the movie began.

* * *

“So, Saihara-chan, do you think they’ll make a sequel?”

“Something tells me they will.”

After the movie, Shuichi insisted that he treat Kokichi to lunch, so they ate at a McDonald’s before taking the train home. They walked down the street side by side.

“Well duh, it’s Fast and Furious, after all,” Kokichi commented.

Shuichi laughed.

“True,” he said.

He swung his hand back and forth until his fingertips brushed against Kokichi’s hand. The reaction was instantaneous, the two of them withdrawing their hands as if they had been scorched by fire.

Shuichi’s heart hammered against his rib cage as he spoke.

“S-So, Ouma-kun...what was your favorite part of the movie?” he asked.

“I liked watching Hobbs and Shaw bicker with each other. It was funny,” Kokichi said.

Kokichi looked at Shuichi and he swore that he saw Kokichi’s cheeks turn pink.

“What about you? What was your favorite part?” he asked.

Shuichi bit his lip.

_ Is he blushing, _ he asked himself.

He quickly shooed that thought away.

_ No, there’s no way. It’s probably from the cold or something, _ he thought to himself.

“Well...I liked the final battle in Samoa. It was intense,” Shuichi said.

“Is that so…” Kokichi trailed off.

They arrived at Kokichi’s house a few minutes later.

“Welp, I had fun today! Thanks for hanging out today,” Kokichi said.

“Of course. I had fun today, too,” Shuichi said.

“That’s good! Well, I’ll see you at school,” he said.

“Yeah, see you then,” Shuichi replied.

Kokichi pushed the gate open and as he stepped behind it, he stopped.

“Say, Saihara-chan...if another interesting movie comes out in theaters…” he turned a little to look at Shuichi. “Would you like to go see it together?” he asked.

Shuichi blushed.

_He just asked me out on a date. That’s what just happened, right? Ouma-kun asked me out on a date,_ he thought to himself.

He liked how that sounded.

“Yeah...I’d like that,” he said.

Kokichi’s cheeks turned red and this time, there was no mistaking it: he was blushing.

“G-Good. Now, I’m gonna head inside...bye, Saihara-chan,” he said.

“Bye, Ouma-kun,” Shuichi said as Kokichi hurried inside.

He turned and headed home with a light pep in his step and a silly grin spread across his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on Tumblr @kawaiikichi!  
Link: http://kawaiikichi.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> Words to Know:  
-Red Cart: We call it trollies on work, but it's basically a metal cart with a handlebar that you push around on four wheels throughout the store. I will do a basic drawing of it on Tumblr soon for you guys to see.  
-Six Totes: The totes are black plastic totes with handles on either side of it. This is where the bagged groceries go once you scan and bag them. The reason for there being six is unknown to me, but each cart has six slots, which can fit six totes.  
-Picking Time: On work, we have to pick our groceries at a certain time per item. For us, it's forty seconds per item. Basically, we have to retrieve the item, scan it, get it in the tote, and scan the label on the tote in forty seconds. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? This is what Kirumi refers to when she says "picking time."  
-Staging: This is what comes next after you finish gathering the order and picking the groceries. You have to stage them in order for them to show as "Finished Picking" or "Ready for Pickup" in the system. What you have to do is scan the label and then scan the barcode of the lettered area that that tote belongs to in order for it to be staged.  
-Spot Four: There are numbered parking lot spots just outside the room where they're working. Customers pull up in one and wait for a worker to come out and start loading their groceries into the trunk of their vehicle.  
-Baymax: A scanner used to scan the barcode on items and labels. The one at my job is green, but theirs is red.  
-Staging Sheet: Basically a cheat sheet that has the lettered areas on it with the barcodes down below, so you can stage your totes right from your cart rather than going back and forth.  
-Refrigerator: They have a huge refrigerator where they store refrigerated orders until they are ready to be picked up.  
-Refridge Carts/Orders: Orders that are refrigerated mean you have to go and pick up items such as butter, milk, meat, cheese, and other refrigerated goods (I personally am not a fan of this one because it can get hella cold sometimes).  
-Strip with Six Labels: These have the order number, which usually has four digits, along with a barcode at the bottom, the type of order it is on the left side of the number, and the "wave" number (we print the orders out in waves/intervals, which is six times throughout the day) along with its letter section on the right side of the number (ex. 4D).  
-Ambient Carts/Orders: Orders that are ambient mean you have to go and pick up items like cereal, bread, flour, snacks, and other non-refrigerated and non-frozen items.  
-Rows: Kirumi writes how many rows each order has, which can determine how long it'll take to finish along with how many items are in the order. The more rows, the more items you'll have to get and the longer it'll take you to finish it.  
-The number four: I know that in Japan, the number four is considered unlucky and some places don't even have an aisle four or a fourth floor, but for this story, there will be an aisle four. This is because Kuma Mart is more Americanized and also in a more Americanized part of town, hence the usage of cars and stuff.  
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Man, that was a mouthful! I hope all of that made sense...if not, feel free to ask me for clarification or any other questions that you may have!
> 
> And you can find me on Tumblr @kawaiikichi!  
Link: http://kawaiikichi.tumblr.com/
> 
> I have up to chapter six written out, so I'll try to update often until then! With that, I'll see you guys around~


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